


Bendy and the Ink Machine: Stitched AU

by FullmetalDevil



Series: Bendy and the Ink Machine: Stitched AU [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Evil Joey Drew, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, batim ocs - Freeform, joey drew studio opperations, some bodily horror, the ink machines test run
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:57:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 93,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17144735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalDevil/pseuds/FullmetalDevil
Summary: The Ink Machine has been completed, but will it work? There is only one way to find out, and that is with a little practice. With a little plush Bendy doll in hand, the little toy is given to the machine and the switch is thrown. After all what could possibly go wrong?





	1. A living Toon

**Author's Note:**

> Ok~ This is literally my first attempt at writing a story. I am primarily a artist not a writer so this is my 'taking a stab at it'. So, with that being said I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> On with the show~

Joey Drew studios was bustling with staff hurrying about, all occupied with various jobs and trying to meet the demanding deadlines. Despite the cheery pictures presented to the crowds, the scampering inside the studio came with whispered complaints and closeted worries. In particular, most of the complaints were aimed towards a new machine that the ‘GENT’ team had been developing and installing per the direction and request of the infamous studio’s director Joey Drew.

Aptly named “The Ink Machine,” much of the staff’s complaints amongst each other were about the recent annoyances that the machine had been causing. The constant rupturing of the pipes or the occasional leak that would render many of them unable to reach or leave their workspaces created quite the headache for the staff. Sadly, the Director’s quick fix solution involved installing additional pumps to drain or redirect the excess ink. Others simply hated how messy and nauseating the smell of ink was, the smell enough to cause lightheadedness and even fainting spells over extended periods. Their complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears as many were told to simply deal with it and to focus on fulfilling their jobs to try and meet the rapidly approaching deadlines.

Heedless of the growing complaints and overall uncomfortable -not to mention unsafe- work conditions, the director moved full speed ahead on the Ink Machine project. When asked as to the purpose of the machine the only answer he’d given was that it would help the studio produce its iconic “Bendy” cartoons at a much faster rate and alleviate stress on the animation team. As a whole, the Ink Machine would help the studio thrive and compete with larger more well-known studios. While much of the staff didn’t seem to buy into the story of what or why the machine was needed, few dared question a man such as Joey Drew. He was a man obsessed with bringing his vision to reality and he felt he couldn’t be bothered with the woes of his staff as long as success was achieved. He would do near anything and everything to ensure he reached his ultimate goal, becoming even more and more fixated on the ink machine as it neared completion. He was so close…nothing and no one would get in his way now.

“Sir, the machine is ready to go!” a young man called out to the director. Hurriedly, Joey came over and lightly tapped the sides of the machine with his cane as his cold grey eyes critically examined the machine in its entire. The machine resembled a massive box being supported by huge chains from the ceiling with pipes coming out of the bottom descending into the depths of the studio. The front of the machine had several large gears with a nozzle coming out of the middle and a sort of catch basin below to help drain away any excess ink that came from the machine.

“Well done men, this is a momentous moment in our studio’s history. We will achieve what no one else has. Finally, after all this time our dreams will come true!” Joey boasted before the gathering staff. The crew giving a round of applause and cheers that the project was over, celebrating that the months of hard work remodeling and building had finally paid off.

“Umm….sir?” Another young man, the lead GENT worker, carefully approached Joey amongst the cheers of his coworkers, whispering in hushed tones.

“What Mr. Connor? Speak up.” Joey briefly glared at him before returning to his 'professional smile’.

“With all due respect, sir, shouldn’t the machine be tested out to make sure everything works properly? I understand that it’s development is finally complete, but everything built was on theory, it hasn’t been completely proven that it will wor-” the young man paled as Joey’s eyes stared holes into his own.

Joey’s professional smile faded to a frown as he turned to face Mr. Connor, voice low. “You and your team assured me that the machine will work and will do I expect it to do so. Now all of a sudden you are winging on the possibility that it may not work? My demand has been simple and to the point Thomas, and the formula provided was structurally sound. It will work because you and your team will make it work.” Joey was trying not to raise his voice at the sudden falter in faith of the machine he had obsessed over. He was not about to go through all the promises of success along with the amount of money he’d spent on the thing to find out that it wouldn’t achieve what he’d been promised. He was running his studio into the ground for this machine, it will work, he must achieve his ultimate dream.

His dream must come true. No, it will come true.

Tom stepped back slightly, away from Joey’s unsettling and slightly disturbing stare. “Yes, the theory is sound for the most part, but what I meant is that the machine has not been tested at all in creating anything. We’ve only turned it on to check ink pressure levels, proper flow and pressure gauges… There is no point in trying to create anything if the machine is not properly being fed the supplies needed to maintain efficiency. So now that it has what it needs, we just to practice first. After all 'practice makes perfect’”.

“Hmmm… good point. Go and grab something so we can test it out then.” Joey ordered, impatiently tapping his cane against his foot. He had waited long enough for results and he’d be damned if he was forced to wait any longer. Then again, 'practice makes perfect.’ He would have perfection, but they just need a small practice session first.

Thomas left the group immediately, returning after a few minutes with a plush doll in hand. “Sir, here is a scrap doll from the toy factory, Shawn said he was just gonna throw it away.” he said, offering the small toy to Joey.

“Yes, yes, now get on with it.” Joey ignored Thomas to face the remaining staff, lifting his voice to address the team. “The rest of you can go take a break for now. There will be a small party later to celebrate our completed project.” The GENT team immediately cheered at the promise of a party and quickly vacated the room, leaving Joey and Thomas to work the machine.

Thomas opened a panel on the side of the machine and took one last look at the doll before setting it inside, adjusting it before closing and securing the panel. Stepping back, he set about double checking the ink pressure gauges, studying them closely to make sure it was at proper levels before throwing the switch.

With a roar akin to thunder, the Ink Machine swayed on its support chains, the gears around the nozzle spinning in multiple directions at incredible speeds as the pressurized ink worked its way through the contraption. After a few brief moments the sound died down to a manageable hum, gears now turning in a smooth rhythm as the machine normalized the pressure. The nozzle vibrated slightly till a glob of ink oozed from it, hitting the floor with a dull splat as Thomas crept closer to examine it.

The ink jiggled around the impact zone like Jell-O before it started to sway and slowly rose to form 2 distinct bodies of ink. The bottom portion of ink began to form a small round body with a yellowed bow-tie, 2 short legs sporting boots, and 2 arms ended in yellowish 4 fingered gloves with 2 buttons on each hand. The upper portion of ink rounded out with what looked like two small horns atop and seemed to float above the body with no visible neck. The floating horned orb had a large round yellow surface that appeared on the front and was presumably the face. The facial area had no nose, only large eyes and a mouth, but the eye area was closed, and the assumed mouth turned downwards resembling a small frown.

After a few minutes of the ink taking shape and smoothing out to form a 3-dimensional figure. The area that would be considered the chest of the figure slowly rose up and down. The ink had formed a living breathing creature, the living ink’s breathing hiccuped a few times before settling on a smooth rise and fall. The little creature swayed slightly as it slowly opened its eyes, they were solid black with what looked like a piece of a pie missing on their sides, the missing slices didn’t match and were facing opposite of each other. It slowly looked around with half lidded eyes and let out a small sound that sounded like a soft squeaky toy.

“Sir it was a success!” Tom near shouted as he bent down to look at the little ink creature that still sat in the small puddle of ink beneath it. With wide eyes and all grins, he slightly cooed at the little ink creature. The living ink figure would respond with small soft squeaks at the man’s voice, even turning its head slightly at him, seemingly looking him over. It even reached a small hand out at the man as he carefully cupped the hand in his own, feeling that the creature was solid and was responding to his interactions. He even went so far as to gently pat it between the hornlike structures on its head resulting is what sounding like a combination of a purr and a hum as it leaned into his hand. He couldn’t have been happier; the machine was a success and the little toon it had created was actually responding to human interaction.

“Great work man, now dispose of that thing and begin preparations for the real deal.”

“Wh-what?!” Tom was taken back by the coldness in the director’s statement. Surely, he didn’t mean to kill this little thing? Yeah sure it was only meant as a test dummy but nevertheless it was a living breathing cartoon character.

“I didn’t stutter, dispose of that off model abomination and set up for the real deal. The real Bendy will be perfect, I will not tolerate less than that” Joey stood there staring coldly at Thomas who was completely shell-shocked at the frankness of his tone. Only the small concerned squeak of the little ink creature snapped Tom out of his frozen state.

“But sir! It worked! Don’t tell me you’re just gonna throw it away because it isn’t 'perfect?!’ It is a living breathing toon! We proved that it is possible to bring toons to life so leave this one alone, so we can focus on Bendy, we already have all the reels and ink necessary for him!” Tom rose to his full height in front of the toon shielding him from Joey’s unflinching gaze.

“I have already been patient enough with you Thomas! I let you test the machine, and it worked. As you said, 'practice makes perfect’ and that thing was only practice and Bendy will be perfect. I have spent good money to achieve perfection and I will get it. Now so help me, if you don’t get rid of that off model abomination I. will. I have no need for a thing that was only experimental.” Joey was livid, his patience was truly at its end. Now the only thing in his way was a rebellious employee and an experiment of creation.

Tom stood there hands balled into fists shaking in anger, his knuckles white from the exertion. Of all the things he has done for this selfish, ungrateful man, the last thing he thought he would be forced to do was to take a innocent life that was created on the concept of 'whether or not we could’ with not a single thought as to 'whether or not we should’. He could do nothing more than stand there with his head bowed in defeat, unable and unwilling to fulfill such an order.

“I see. I guess I have to do everything myself around here” Joey quietly uttered, grasping his cane tightly he walked over to a nearby tool chest and grabbed an axe. Thomas was so focused on the ground lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice the small creature’s concerned whine as Joey steadily approached with the weapon in hand. By the time Tom saw Joey’s shadow at his feet, it was too late, Joey used the handle of the axe to strike Tom on the side of his head causing him to crumple to the floor clutching his head. With the Tom splayed on the floor the toon slowly reached for him when Joey spun the axe around and used the bladed end to catch the toon in the stomach and sent it skidding several feet like a broken doll.

The little toon cried out at the sudden infliction of pain and scrambled to get onto its wobbly feet, dazed and confused from the impact. Joey turned on his heel about to approach the toon again when he felt a something grab onto his leg nearly toppling him, his cane falling useless to the floor. Furious, he glared down to see the Tom clinging to his leg with determined eyes and a cast iron grip.

“Run!”

Eye’s spinning around in a spiral of confusion, the toon shook his head to clear his vision and needed no encouragement to flee the scene. Grasping at the wound on his stomach, he shakily stood on unsteady legs and tried to run as fast as they would carry him. Staggering at first till he became more accustomed to his body, he kept running as best he could with ink oozing out of his midsection as he sped away from crazed director, throwing open the door and barreling down the hall. The only traces that he was ever there was a small trail of ink that led from the base of the machine to the doors where he disappeared.

Joey was absolutely enraged at the sight of the toon running away, in blind rush he spun the axe around again and used the axe like a baseball bat to swing the handle into Tom’s rib cage forcing him to release Joey from the sudden impact. He then brought the handle down again to hit Tom on the side of the head knocking him out cold. He knew full well that Tom could have easily overpowered him, if he had noticed Joey’s approach.

Straightening himself up, Joey called for the GENT staff in the next room over to 'take this man to rest in my office, he’s hurt’. Reaching down slowly and picking up his fallen cane, Joey slowly hobbled behind the GENT crew as they hefted the unconscious Tom to his office. He too would have to rest while his problematic employee was unconscious. Age and injury weren’t exactly kind to him as his body ached from the sudden physical activity and the stress Tom had placed on his leg from his death grip impeding his chance at eliminating the experimental toon.

Then again, the only people present for the experimental run was only Joey and Tom. He knew after this little 'stunt’ of Tom’s that he would either refuse to finish the project, report it to GENT, or worse the authorities. Then again Thomas’s beloved wife Mrs. Allison was on his payroll, there may or may not be a 'accident’ if Mr. Connor doesn’t behave himself. He will get results even if it costs the lives of a few employees, after all, he has thousands at his disposal. Plus, he still had a runaway abomination to track down, it couldn’t have gone too far with an injury like that. It would only be a matter of time before it succumbs to its injury or is found by an employee. He would only have to watch and wait.

————————————————

The little toon ran for his life, occasionally bumping into the occasional crate or pushing off a wall. His throbbing head and aching stomach was making it difficult to focus, the only thing he knew was that he had to keep running. To where, he had no idea, anywhere was safer than the room he just came from. Taking a brief moment to glance over his shoulder, he failed to see a open tool box laying in the middle of the hall. He tripped over the box and crashed face first onto the tools with a saw cutting the side of his face. He briefly cried out in pain as the left side of his face was oozing ink. Thankfully the tools didn’t cut his eye but the area above and below it was a complete wreak and the wound was leaking so much ink it was making it difficult to open his eye. Stunned from the new source of pain and his head already spinning from the previous round of pain, the toon mustered enough strength to roll off the tool kit and onto the floor. He laid there for a few minutes as he attempted to regain his composure, but he knew he didn’t have the luxury of lingering too long. Despite an aching head, he cupped a hand over the side of his face, clenched his stomach, rose to his feet and continued running.

Shortly after the toon rounded the corner leaving the hallway, a slightly heavyset man wandered down the hall from the opposite direction with a bucket and mop in hand. He stopped briefly noticing the tool box. “goddamn it, stupid GENT team leaving their crap around again.” He grumbled as bent down to pick up the kit when he noticed the amount of ink on the floor. “Oh goodie, another puddle of ink for me to clean up after. I swear I’m getting tired of all this blasted ink. If one more pipe burst, and they expect me to clean it up, I’m outta here.” He closed the tool kit unaware of the ink that had spilled within it, and slid it off to the side whispering small curses as he started to clean up the puddle. A few strokes of the mop, and the occasional wringing of its contents into the bucket, the hallway looked good as new. Taking the bucket and mop in one hand and tool box in the other, he resumed his trek down the hallway.

Meanwhile the runaway toon made random lefts and rights as he blindly ran throughout the studio, blazing past quite a few staff members so fast that most either mistook him for shadow or simply didn’t notice him. While running through one of the quieter halls he accidentally ran into the back of a man’s leg completely sweeping his legs out from under him. The man yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself on the ground with the wind knocked out of him and his cargo of film reels everywhere. Neither man nor toon noticed the other since they both were dazed and confused from the impact. The toon was the first to shake off the confusion from the impact and saw the man sprawled out on the floor along with these round containers all around him. He wanted to pick the containers up and help the man to his feet apologizing profusely, but fear of getting hurt again spurred him to flee and to leave the man on the ground.

A young woman heard the loud clattering of the reels falling to the ground and rolling around brought her to the scene of a older man slowly picking himself off the floor. “Norman are you all right?” She rushed to his aid and helped him off the floor. Norman leaned slightly against the wall holding his head trying to comprehend what just happened. “ Y-Yeah thanks Mrs. Allison. I dunno what happened. Somethin’ hit me on the back of my knees and the next thin’ I know I was skatin’ on the rings of Saturn, which by the way is lovely this time of year” He dryly joked as he rubbed the back of his head wincing from the bump that was starting to form from where his head had slammed against the floor.

Allison rolled her eyes at his dry sense of humor and slowly started rounding up the fallen reels on the floor. “How come you have all these reels? I mean you usually have 2 or 3 but not this many” As she inventoried the steadily growing stack of reels. All of the reels were of the various Bendy shorts, specifically scenes of Bendy by himself in his solo episodes.

“Ah, Joey wants 'em. Says its for some sort of project he had in mind. I don’ really care personally as long as he takes care of mah reels.” Norman shrugged. He knew Joey was up to something but as for what it was, he wasn’t certain. He had a strong suspicion it involved that new machine he had built, but for now, he had his job to do and all he could do was watch and listen.

“Well for now, how about I help you carry them. You’re heading to the projection room, right?”

Norman looked at Allison in brief shock not expecting the offer of assistance. “aww shucks Mrs. Allison ya don’ have to.” scratching the back of his head.

“well I’m on break right now so I have the time” Allison smiled up at him as she picked up a handful of the reels. Norman took that as a 'I’m helping you and there is nothing you can do to stop me’. He liked her willingness to help others without question, her compassion for others was heaven-sent. “Thanks, ma'am.” Norman gathered up the remainder of the reels and motioned for Allison to follow him as they traveled down the hall to the projection room. Both unawares as to the small droplets of ink that had continued down the opposite hallway.

————————————————————-

A combination of pain and exhaustion was starting to catch up to the toon, he had no clue how much ink he lost, and the amount lost and was still losing, was starting to take its toll. First, he gets struck by a sharp object just after he was born, then tripped and landed on a box of sharp objects, then slammed head first into some random person, giving him a killer headache on top of the pain he was already feeling. The last thing he wanted was to succumb to his injuries in a random hallway or worse be found by that axe wielding older man. Those icy grey eyes he won’t soon forget, they were eyes that were void of compassion and were filled with loathing and greed. That younger man however, his eyes were full of compassion. He looked at him with a sense of awe, and the warmth he felt from him, he could only hope to receive again. However, with his madman pursuer out for his head (dunno how cause it floats separate from his body) he can only run and hide. Spotting a slightly open door that was dark inside he threw the door open before closing it behind himself.

The only source of light to grace the darkness of the room was the small gap beneath the door way, the light provided was only enough to outline the small room. The quarters had shelving on one side and a long desk with several chairs in front of a large mirror on the other, it resembled a dressing room of sorts. The toon took it as a small blessing that the room was vacant, but it lacked sufficient hiding spots. Though he was not about to dispute the situation, he had very few options to begin with, especially with all the people in and out of the hallways. For now the room will suit his needs.

Breathing heavily the little toon squeezed himself between some crates and a softer object that he could only assume was some sort of bag on the lower shelf towards back of the room. Clutching at his stomach and patting his face he noticed that he wasn’t leaking ink so much anymore, but he was still in a lot of pain. His vision going blurry around the edges as he tried to calm himself and keep his focus. He didn’t know what he did to deserve this. He was just born. Why did they not want him? What did they mean by “Off model”? That nice man, what will happen to him?

The toon curled up, head resting on his knees letting out a soft pained squeak. He felt exhausted and in pain from the sudden rush and hoped that no one would find him. He knew that eventually he would have to somehow find some ink to help heal his injuries but that alone wouldn’t be enough. Deep down he knew there were some other peculiarities about his body that the ink simply won’t fix, but that issue will have to be dealt with in time. For now, all he could do was scoot as far back into his hiding spot as he could. Sighing he let himself be embraced by the trappings of exhaustion as sleep claimed him.

—————————————————————–

Allison wandered down the hallway idly chatting away with Norman as they reached the Projector room. Once they were inside Norman set his reels inside the shelves on the side of the room in chronological order. Once they were in place, he took Allison’s stack from her and placed them in their correct positions alongside the others. He offered to get her a small cup of coffee as thanks for her help, but she politely declined the offer saying that her break was nearly over and that she should be heading back. Just as she was leaving the room Wally the janitor passed her by grumbling to himself about constantly cleaning up all the spilt ink and that if anything else went wrong for the day, he’s 'outta here’. She could only stifle a chuckle watching the disgruntled janitor wander down the hall.

Taking that as her cue, Allison left the Projector room and headed to her dressing room. She had hastily hid her purse in her room when she heard the loud clattering noises of the film reels hitting the floor. Her break was almost over, and she wanted to munch on some food that she packed in her bag. Allison made a few lefts and rights as she wandered down the halls watching the animation team scurry around with piles of cells in hand. She thought it was strange that her little dressing room was on the first floor rather than the same floor as the music department. Though she didn’t mind since she got to see all the drawing of the little devil darling and his friends and the amount of work that went into making the cartoons. Especially the lead animator named Henry Stein. She didn’t know him personally since he was gone before she was hired on, but she heard he created the little devil darling and his friends. No one openly talked about Henry for fear of Joey hearing them if he was nearby, and he staunchly forbade anyone of speaking about Henry before him. The only thing she knew was that after he created the toons and some of the cartoons he was drafted and that very few were able to keep in some contact with him.

Finally reaching her room she casually opened the door and wandered in turning on the light. The light flickered briefly before settling on a smooth glow as it illuminated the small space. She searched around the desk and chairs convinced she had left her purse there last. “great, now where did it go?” Allison pouted as she glanced around. She was in such a hurry to put her things away from the loud clattering noises that she failed to pay attention as to where she put them. Unbeknownst to her that the light being turned on, her moving the chairs during her search and her voice had awoken a small stowaway within the room.

She turned her attention to the shelving figuring 'why not’ since she really didn’t use it and towards the bottom corner of the shelf was her bag.

“There it is.” She smiled in triumph.

As she reached for the bag, she then noticed a small trail of a black liquid that had led to the side of the shelf next to her bag. She took a moment to retrace the trail as she spotted small hints of it by her door and followed it as it led to her shelf. Something had been brought into the room and had leaked fluid. She inwardly groaned as she hoped it wasn’t Wally getting lazy again and tried to stash a bucket of ink in her room, she had caught him before trying to stash buckets of ink or boxes of random items in her room even though there was a proper storage area. Wally was just lazy and didn’t want to go the extra step of disposing or storing equipment properly.

She grasped the handle of her bag and pulled it out examining the side, surprised to find that the bag was clean despite the trail of questionable fluid. Curiosity getting the better of her, she got on her hands and knees to investigate the bottom shelf to locate the origins of the fluid. To her surprise she saw a small figure hiding in the back of the shelving trying to scoot away from her as best it could, not getting very far due to a crate impeding its escape attempt. The creature could only whine slightly in its failed escape attempt knowing she had it trapped.

“Hey there” she cooed softly at the small figure. 'Probably a stray cat that someone snuck in’ she thought to herself. She remembered a time when a staffer had snuck in a stray, and boy did joey pitch a fit. Though it didn’t help that the cat had kneaded a pile of freshly finished cells and nearly knocked him over when running away. Joey always did have a bad leg, so the sudden surprise didn’t help. Even Norman complained of the cat cause of the fur getting in his projectors, distorting the images. Sammy was on par with Joey’s fit, if not more dramatic since he was allergic to cats. Watching Sammy break into sneezing rants was amusing for the staff, but the stray had to be removed from the building.

“Come on” she cooed again trying to coax the critter out of it hiding spot. The creature seemed to pull forward briefly to where she spotted a hint of yellow, but then it pulled back again scooting as far back as it could. Whatever was hiding in her shelf seemed very weary of her. Allison briefly eyed her watch to check the time realizing she only had 30 minutes left on her break before she had to go back to work. She wouldn’t have the time to wait for whatever was claiming her bottom shelf as a home to come out, and to get it out of the studio in under 30 minutes without getting stopped every 5 seconds.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands she nearly laid on her belly and scooted closer to the shelf, so she could grab ahold of whatever was hiding in it. As she reached for it she could hear and partially see whatever it was trying once again to scoot as far away from her as it could only for be thwarted by the crates once again. It even began to make a strange squeaky toy like whine as she felt around trying to locate the base of its body to grab on to, it didn’t help that the critter seemed to very dark in color as she could only make out its outline. Her fingers finally felt something smooth and plush that she assumed was the body and grasped it gently as she pulled. She was met with some resistance as whatever she grabbed seemed to be clinging onto the crate as she pulled.

'Oh, for the love of-’ Allison thought to herself. “come on.” she cooed again trying to reassure whatever was down there that everything will be all right. A few gentle tugs later, she no longer felt resistance for which she assumed it either gave up, or got tired of playing 'cliffhanger’. Claiming her prize, she slowly scooted back away from the shelving slowly bringing the creature into the light.

“The hell?” For a moment Allison thought her eyes were playing a horrible trick on her. She stared in disbelief at what was in her hands. “A- A Bendy doll?” Feeling like this was some sort of bad prank, she bent down again to peer into the shelving to find that there was no hiding critter, just crates and empty space.

Allison returned her attention back to the doll in hand to find that the doll was in horrid shape, a large cut across the midsection and across the left side of the face. Upon closer inspection she found that the only visible eye appeared glossy and had large droplets of a black liquid at their edges. She then felt that the doll was shaking within her hands, and the mouth was very prominent frown.

The little toon felt that this was the end of the line for him, show’s over and the curtain for him is about to close. He was just born, had escaped the axe madman, got cut on a bunch of tools, ran over some hapless soul, hid in a random room only to be discovered so soon. His taste of the world was short lived and now he was going to be killed for the simple reason of existing. He was in too much pain, and his body wasn’t responding as well as he would like so he lacked the strength to fight back. Even attempting to wiggle or try and push off her only resulted in more painful spasms. The stress that was wearing down on the toons mental walls rapidly bubbled up and the dam shattered, he broke down into a grief-stricken wail and cried.

Allison was shocked to find what she thought was a Bendy doll to suddenly tremble and then burst into a full-on sobbing. Her mind went blank at the sudden turn of events, but an overwhelming sense of pity urged her to comfort this small creature within her arms. “It’s ok, don’t cry, don’t cry” She softly spoke to the toon gently embracing him, rubbing his back as he cried even harder into her shoulder. He had felt so desperate and stressed out that the sudden warm hug made the toon feel that he could let it all go and kept crying, even going so far as to wrap his small arms around her neck returning the embrace. She rocked gently back and forth rubbing his back slowly ending her small chant of 'don’t cry’ to simple humming of 'Green sleeves’.

They remained in that spot for what felt like a eternity with Allison gently rocking and humming, the toons cries slowly ebbed away to soft sobs in her arms. After giving him a minute to compose himself, she slowly broke the embrace and glanced down looking at him in his glassy eye. Inky tears still staining the sides of his face, she even took a brief moment to wipe some of the tears away with her thumb. Allison didn’t need to say a word as the toon looked up at her, she could tell he felt better as this weight was suddenly taken off his shoulders.

The toon admittedly didn’t not expect such treatment from another person say for the man he first met. He didn’t expect to just burst out crying, let alone be given a warm understanding embrace. He thought he would only get that from one person in this cruel world, not to find it in another. A sense of calm washed over him like a wave as he slowly leaned his head into her chest and let his body relax. The stress was gone but the pain he felt was still there, however the warm hug of this angelic person allowed him to briefly forget his woes.

Ensuring that the toon was comfortable and not likely to try and escape, Allison slowly picked herself off the floor and heading to her desk. She pulled out the chair and sat down then she placed her bag on the desk and laid the toon against it facing her. Looking him over properly it really was Bendy, a real life Bendy. She was dead convinced that Bendy was only a cartoon character drawn onto paper, then onto cells, and ran through a special camera to take a still image and several thousand still images later you have an animated short. There was no way Bendy was a living and breathing character, he was only a figment of imagination, and yet here he is in front of her looking back at her. Though Bendy is a toon not a plush doll. When she was hugging him trying to calm him down, she had noted that his body felt like soft almost fleece like fabric. He had no seems like a real plush would have but he sure as heck felt like one.

Allison felt pity looking at what she decided to call 'Bendy’, his body was covered in so many scratches and had 2 prominent gashes, one on his stomach and the other over his left eye. She gently rubbed the area between his horns as he relaxed at her touch. Taking that opportunity since he was distracted, she knelt down to get a much closer look at his stomach.

The edges of ‘Bendy’s stomach looked like frayed cloth that had been crudely slashed open, he even had what looked like small fibers on the edges of the cut. Underneath the fabric was an ebony black liquid that was not quite fluid, but not solid either. The liquid almost looked like veins as it seemed to pulse through the open wound. What really struck her as odd, was as the black fluid moved throughout his body it would circle around and even seem to hold what looked like clusters of white material. It was cotton stuffing. Realization hit that this little 'Bendy’ truly is a living plush doll and that this black fluid is what brought it to life.

Allison carefully grazed her fingers around the edges of the wound were some of the black fluid had collected resulting in 'Bendy’ wincing from her hand and whining softly. “I’m sorry” She reached up with her other had as she caressed his head again.

Drawing her coated hand back, Allison carefully examined her fingers. The black fluid reminded her of water except water doesn’t have a strange smell to it. She cautiously sniffed her fingers and drew back her head in surprise. “Ink?” This black fluid smelt like ink. she sniffed her fingers again just to be absolutely sure and she knew without a doubt, it was ink. Even though she was a recent hire to the studio with the installation of the ink machine and all its workings throughout the studio it was hard to escape the stuff, it was everywhere along with the fumes it generated. She couldn’t help but wonder why ink acted like blood in this living doll. Ultimately, she decided to put her questions away for the moment, and to focus on figuring out how to help 'Bendy’.

Allison patted his head and gently urged him to move forward slightly as she reached behind him into her bag to pull out a handkerchief. With the handkerchief in hand she gently encouraged him to lay back down against her bag, so he could be somewhat comfortable while she gently wiped the excess ink off his body. She decided to start with his face as she carefully wiped the widows peak on his left side and worked down. To her surprise the wound on his face wasn’t as deep as she initially thought, but it still will need some form of stitches. She breathed a small sigh in relief to find that his left eye was not damaged from whatever caused the facial injury, and that his eye was only closed due to the amount of ink the wound had bled.

As Allison was cleaning his face, she also noticed that even though his body clearly felt like fleece fabric, the residue ink that wasn’t completely absorbed from her handkerchief was somehow absorbed back into 'Bendy’s body. His face was blemish free except for the large black tear that ran down the side of his face. With his face cleaned, he was able to open his left eye completely and even made a happy sounding squeak as he looked up at her with both eyes.

'Bendy’ couldn’t have been happier from being able to properly use both his eyes, he had leaked so much ink, it obscured his vision making it difficult to see. He had been under the impression that this woman was going to expose his hiding spot and surrender him to the madman. He would have never thought in a million years that this kind lady was actually helping him, she was even going so far as to clean and dress his wounds. He didn’t know how to talk properly yet so all he could do was muster a small shaky smile and make a happy noise. He was still hurting, but with her helping to tend to his wounds, all he could do was softly let her know that her efforts are greatly appreciated.

Allison smiled at the toons show of appreciation. Though she felt that the affection and appreciation may be short lived if she was going to really act on what was floating in the back her mind. 'Just to be absolutely sure’ She thought to herself as she bent down her face a few inches from his as she thoroughly examined the edges of his cuts. With the way his 'skin’ was like fabric plus the cotton like substance mixed in with the ink in his body, she was convinced she would be able to sew all the major injuries shut. She pulled away from him and sat with her head bowed, she already knew that from the way he was acting that he was still in pain. There was without a doubt that by trying to stitch his body together that it would add on to the pain already there, but cuts that large don’t easily heal on their own.

'Bendy’ was confused as to why the nice lady suddenly had her face in his with a hard glare before she suddenly pulled away with a somber look. What was wrong? Did he do something wrong? Oh, please let him not have done something wrong again, he doesn’t want to get hurt again. Was she going to hurt him like that man did when he didn’t do what he wanted? 'Bendy’ let out a small concerned whine to get her attention and looked up at her with questioning eyes.

Allison realized that her action caused concern for the plushtoon “I’m sorry sweetie, it’s just that your injuries can’t heal properly unless they are stitched shut. I have the means to do so but that means you’ll hurt all over again and I don’t know if I have the will to do it.” She had a remorseful look on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was to her hurt her newfound companion, whom had only just begun to trust her.

'Bendy’ quietly listened to her words and tilted his head slightly as he processed them. He understood that due to the size of the wounds on his body that even if he drank a lot of ink it wouldn’t help much, let alone close completely. This healing method, this “stitching” as she called it might help him, but she said it was painful. She would have to hurt him to heal him? How does that work? He wasn’t sure if he wanted this “stitching” healing method, but then again, he lacked access to ink and he didn’t seem to have many options left on the table.

'Bendy’ closed his eyes briefly as he mulled over the few options he had left, he figured what else could go wrong? If this method would help close the largest wounds, then if he got any ink, that can get used to heal the smaller ones. He slowly reached his gloved hand out and rested it on hers to get her attention. Allison startled slightly at the contact as she was taken out of her thoughts as she looked up at him. 'Bendy’ nodded his head slowly as if he was saying 'go ahead’. He gave her a shaky smile and laid back down against her purse never taking his eyes off her, eyes full of trust and determination.

Allison was taken back by the gesture and look he gave her. 'Bendy’ was trusting her? He was willing to entrust his care to her, be what may come. She couldn’ help but smile warmly at the little 'Bendy’, he was willing to endure more pain to have his wounds closed for good. Stitching him closed wasn’t her preferred plan of action but since his body had so many similarities to a regular stuffed animal that sewing him was the only method that would work.

Allison took a deep breath and steeled herself for what she was about to do, taking a moment to examine her watch, taking mental note of her 10 minutes left of her break. She motioned for the toon to lean forward again while she reached behind him to rummage around in her bag, after a brief search she pulled out a small black box, opening it to reveal a pair of scissors, 2 sewing needles and a spool of black thread.

Holding the box in her hand, Allison carefully pulled out the scissors and thread. She pulled out 2 arm’s length worth of the thread and cut it off the spool. While holding the thread in the other hand she replaced the spool and scissors back in the box and grabbed one of the sewing needles. she folded the measured thread twice before threading it through the needle, she wanted the thread to be a bit on the thick side with the hope that it would never come undone. Once Allison had the needle and thread ready, she decided to take a moment to explain what she was about to do, in the hopes that the information will ease up the pain since he will be anticipating it.

“See this is called a needle” she gestured to the needle between her fingers “and this is called thread” she pulled on the thread hanging off the needle “what I have do to is carefully try and pinch the folds of your cuts closed, then take the needle and thread and go through them. A combination of the needle and pulling of the thread though the wound will be excruciating but once it is sewn shut you won’t be leaking any more ink and your body start the road to recovery, and you won’t be hurting anymore.” Allison tried to put on her more convincing smile but it was faltering since her confidence in her ability to pull off her plan was wavering. 'Bendy’ looked at her and nodded in understanding, he would just have to endure whatever can his way.

Allison carefully pinched the folds of his 'skin’ on his stomach which was already starting to hurt and as soon as she drove the needle through, he nearly screamed. He couldn’t believe how much it hurt, all he could do was try and hold his breath to keep from screaming but that didn’t stop his squirming from the pain. Allison could only quietly chant “I’m sorry, it’ll be over soon” over and over trying to ground herself and to keep her hands moving for fear of stopping. 'Bendy’s breath would hiccup and hitch from each stitch she made, even though she had warned him to the realities of the procedure, he wasn’t truly prepared for what pain was in store for him. If he had more ink in his system he could stave off the pain, but with with how much he lost already there wasn’t anything he could do.

With each rise and fall of the needle, it swiftly became coated in ink along with the thread. Allison soon found small difficulty locating the needle at times since it was so coated, only the small glint of occasional silver clued her as to its location. She was so caught up in stitching that when she briefly looked at the work already done, she was mesmerized. The excess ink around the stitches was drawing upwards towards the thread making it thicker and sealing off any small imperfections. The only mark left behind was the stitches themselves but the area around the wound was completely clean, 'Bendy’s body was rapidly repairing itself since the main injury was being closed. Snapping back to reality she resumed her patchwork, whispering small 'thanks’ as her plan seemed to be working.

After for what felt like an eternity 'Bendy’s stomach was finally closed and all the excess ink had sealed and healed all the small marks that remained. The ink had even absorbed the few strands from where the thread had been cut and tied off, sealing itself once and for all. 'Bendy’s breathing had calmed down considerably as she finished. Allison used a cleaner portion of her handkerchief to wipe her sewing needle as clean as she could get, and decided to let the little plushdemon rest. She tried to pull away briefly but stopped in her tracks when a gloved hand reached out and gently pulled on her sleeve.

“what’s wrong” Allison turned glancing over her shoulder at the sudden tug.

'Bendy’ was completely exhausted and would rather not go through another round of stitching, but he still had one last injury that stubbornly refused to close without assistance. He gestured to the mark along the length of his face and whined softly hoping for her to repair the injured area, just like how she did with his stomach. He wanted to get the last of the stitching completed so he can truly rest for as long as he needed. He figured he was already in pain and simply adding onto it would just make it numb, but that is if she would continue. Through his writhing and trying to keep from screaming he could feel her hands trembling as she worked and her small chant of 'I’m sorry’ to maintain focus. He could tell Allison was horrified through the process but if she could just get this one last part done then it will be all over and they both could rest easy.

Allison clearly had reservations about trying to not only continue so soon, but to sew such a sensitive area as the face, she was reluctant to proceed without calming her own rattled nerves. “Are you sure you don’t want to rest first before I try to repair that area?” as she tried to delay the inevitable. 'Bendy’s whined again as he gave her a pleading look urging her to continue.

Allison inwardly sighed as she knew what 'Bendy’ wanted, he wanted to get it done and over with. With shaky hands she picked up her needle and thread again to try and resume. Her hand gently pinching the folds closed, but as soon as the needle neared his face her hand froze. Allison was petrified of trying to stitch his face, what if she messes up? She can do more damage to his face then she can to his stomach if she strays down the wrong road. The realities of success and failure becoming a tightrope where she was standing on the rope of success but with no lifeline or pole to maintain balance over the chasm of failure.

'Bendy’ could see the fear in her eyes and carefully backed away from her hands breaking free of her hold. Once free, he pressed the right side of his face into her hand makings a soft purring almost a humming sound imitating 'Green Sleeves’ that he had heard her hum to him during his distress. Allison immediately snapped out of her petrification and looked down to see 'Bendy’ gently nuzzling her hand, humming the same tune she had hummed to him earlier. He was like a little record, the tunes and sounds she made he imitated as he was returning the calming gesture to her as she had done for him. Any and all reservations she may have had about stitching his face disappeared. Her tightrope of success had a large life line net and she had her support harness and balance pole.

With renewed confidence she picked up her needle, gently pinched the folds of 'skin’ and slowly, tenderly stitched his face. All the while 'Bendy’ did his best to continue humming 'Green Sleeves’ to support her along the way. She could feel him twitching underneath her, wanting to pull away, but dared not give in to the desire. He just had to keep humming for her sake.

Once Allison was done with the last of the stitches and tied off the thread, the ink absorbed the loose strands and seal itself off. She laid back in her chair utterly exhausted, stitching for those few minutes felt like hours. 'Bendy’ finally got to relax as well as he sunk into her purse, all his strength gone and his body finally starting the healing process. He looked up at her with half lidded eyes and let out a small happy squeak of appreciation. Allison smiled as she gently rubbed the area between his horns resulting in more humming from the plushtoon.

Their quiet moment was shattered by a brisk knock on Allison’s dressing room door.

“Allison, are you in there?” A smooth masculine voice inquired.

'Oh crap, it’s Sammy!’ she thought to herself “Yeah I’m here!” Allison abruptly shouted as she frantically stood up to shield the exhausted toon from the potential sight of her visitor, turning just long enough to hide her sewing kit back in her bag then resuming her guard. To her relief the door was not opened.

“when you’re done with your break, I need you down at the Music department post haste. Joey is demanding more singing roles along with music, so I need everyone there as soon as possible”

“I’m almost done with my break, so I’ll be there in 5!” Allison called out to him, still hoping he wouldn’t open the door. She feared that Sammy may not leave just yet. He was a brilliant musician and song writer, but unfortunately he came off as a bit of a drama queen. Plus, with the more recent renovations and remodeling the studio has been undergoing, Sammy got a larger Music department and boy had it gone to his head. He has even been heard jokingly revering the Bendy character for granting him a larger department and “role” within the studio. He was so dramatic about it that most painted him a daft looney and a overly dramatic drama queen.

“See you then.”

Allison stood there with baited breath until she heard his footsteps fade away, she stood there for a while to make absolutely sure he had left and that she wasn’t hearing the ink being pumped through the building. All her newfound energy gone as soon as it came, as she slumped back into her chair sparing a glance at the toon still sitting on the desk.

'Bendy’ looked up at her with half lidded eyes and made a small confused noise as to what was going on. Allison smiled at the toons concern. “That was Sammy Lawrence he’s my boss, I am a voice actress and singer here. Technically this is my dressing room which is really just a rehearsal room for me since this is an animation studio not a live action studio. I was taking a break when I found you, and now I got to go back to work in a few minutes.” then reality it hit Allison like a ton of bricks, what if someone comes in her room while she is away and sees the toon laying on her desk? Panic raced up her spine as she frantically looked around the room to find something to hide the weakened plushdemon.

It dawned on her, when she was reaching for 'Bendy’ in the lower shelf he was leaning against a crate. Allison bent down and slid the crate out and thanked her lucky stars that the crate was empty. The crate was just large enough to hide the toon inside it, but it wouldn’t be the most comfortable hiding place since there was no cushion. Allison looked down at the coat she was wearing and realized that there were ink stains on it. 'Oh well, it’s for a good cause’ she thought to herself as she took the coat off and folded it to cover the bottom of the crate, leaving just enough of the coat loose so it can be folded over like a blanket.

Allison lifted the crate up and carried it over to the desk where 'Bendy’ was resting, still watching her confused as to what she was doing. She motioned for him to lean forward again while she rummaged through her bag and found her scarf. Allison took the scarf and folded it several times to make a makeshift pillow and placed it under the fold of the coat. Satisfied with the makeshift bed, she looked down at 'Bendy’

“I made you a sort of bed, it’s not much but it’ll have to do for now till you heal. Plus, I don’t want anyone to find you and hurt you while I’m gone.”

'Bendy’ looked at the bed and then back her and had the biggest smile on his face that he could muster without hurting himself. The smile faltered slightly when he also realized that she would be leaving. Was this nice lady leaving him? Allison was her name? Was she going to abandon him? Was his savior, this angel going to go away and not come back?

Allison recognized the look of hesitation on 'Bendy’s face as while he was happy to receive a bed, he didn’t seem to like the idea of her leaving him. She stifled a small chuckle at how clingy the toon was acting, but then again, she couldn’t blame him. He shows up in her room with injuries from who knows where, alone and scared, and here she comes showing him kindness that he didn’t seem to get and now he won’t let go.

She carefully picked 'Bendy’ up and cradled him in one arm while she lifted the fold of the coat. Taking care not to jostle him too much, Allison gently laid him down on the bottom of the crate and covered him with the coat. The crate was a perfect fit as he fit comfortably within it. As Allison reached for the handles of the crate, she felt a small tug on her sleeve.

'Bendy’ was clinging to her sleeve as she figured he would. He obviously didn’t want her to go but she was running out of time as her break was nearly over and she needed to get back to work. “I’m not going to leave you, but I do have to go back to work. I’ll only be gone for a shot while and I promise I will come right back once my session is over.” She smiled at the desperate demon while rubbing the area between his horns relaxing him.

“A…lli…son” the demon whispered softly as he leaned into her touch nuzzling her hand.

Allison was a bit surprised at the toons attempt at speech. Since he was so childlike, she figured it would take him awhile to try and talk but he had hummed the same tune she hummed to him. 'Bendy’ was able to repeat various sounds or words, albeit slowly, but with practice he would be able to talk properly.

Then it donned her, she never once called 'Bendy’, Bendy. She always thought of him as a little toon or a plush, mostly both. Yet Bendy is a black and white cartoon character, so why does 'Bendy’ have color, even though it’s sepia tones but color all the same.

“ummm…..Can I ask you a question?”

'Bendy’ tilted his head slightly as he waited for her to continue.

“How come you are real, I mean like in real life real and not just a cartoon character? That came out wrong” She scratched her head trying to get her words in order “I mean how are you real when you were originally a drawing on a piece of paper? And how do you have color when you are supposed to be black and white?”

'Bendy’ looked at her in confusion. He knew he was just born and all he saw was black until he opened his eyes and saw that he was on a floor with a person knelt down looking at him. As far as how he was born, he wasn’t sure, he didn’t exactly have a luxury of exploration before being attacked for being something called 'off model’ and 'only practice’. He didn’t know what those words meant but whatever it was it was bad. So, by him being 'off model’ and 'only practice’ meant he was or did something bad which resulted in a painful punishment.

'Bendy’ looked up at her as he pointed to himself and focused on repeating the words he had heard shortly after birth “I’m..off..model…only..practice” His speech was slow and careful as he tried to pronounce the words as best he could.

Allison’s eyes were wide in shock, 'Bendy’ is off model and he was only practice? What did he mean by that? Does that mean someone made a living 'Bendy’ just to see if they could do it? Anger slowly started settling in as the reality of 'Bendy’s words sunk in. Someone made a little 'Bendy’ as practice for something else, but the 'Bendy’ made was 'off model’ which meant they most likely tried to kill him for simply not looking correctly and existing. Anger couldn’t describe her at that moment, she was absolutely livid. How dare someone play 'god’ and try and kill a innocent life that didn’t ask for the treatment it got. Right then and there Allison swore to herself that she would take care of this 'reject Bendy’ since clearly no one wanted him since he 'didn’t look right’, but this little 'Bendy’ didn’t have a name since he 'isn’t 'Bendy’.

Allison folded her arms in quiet contemplation as she fumbled with various names within her mind. She had heard that the 'original Bendy’s naming was a bit of an accident when his creator Henry fumbled his words when describing the character and that it was an odd fit that stuck. She liked the first part of the name 'Ben’ but she felt 'Ben’ would be too short for her newfound friend, plus he isn’t 'Bendy’ since he has sepia coloring, mismatched eyes, and now is sporting stitches. Then it hit her 'Benny’ it was similar to 'Bendy’ but not, the homage was there yet a name of its own. 'Benny…yeah I like that name’ she thought to herself.

'It’s ok Benny, you are you, no matter what people say" Allison petted his head. “no matter where you’re from or what you are, all that matters is who you are.”

“Ben..ny?” Benny repeated in confusion wondering why she was calling him that, as far as he knew he had no name. He knew her name was Allison, but he didn’t know his own. Allison had to suppress a chuckle watching him ponder over the name, his head bobbing side to side slightly as it floated there.

“Yep, I’m calling you Benny. You look like the cartoon devil Bendy that this studio animates but at the same time you don’t look like him. Therefore, that makes you Benny not 'Bendy’” Allison smiled at him

“Is..that..what..they..meant..by..'off..model?’” Benny slowly asked while looking up at her. He suspected the name 'Bendy’ since the madman had mentioned it a few times before he was stuck with something sharp.

Shoot! Allison forgot that Benny had said he was 'off model’ which means he must know who Bendy is. That Benny had been created in the image of Bendy but since he wasn’t what they wanted they tried to get rid of him. “No, no, no, no sweetheart. That’s not what it means. It means that you are your own self and Bendy uhh…..would be kinda like your older brother.” as she tried to salvage the situation. “So that means that you look like Bendy cause he came first then you followed after him. So that means if you ever see him, treat him kindly cause he’s a toon just like you.”

Benny smiled at the thought of having another toon like him and the possibility of him being a sibling no less, if not a sibling, at least a friend. Oh the amount of mischief they could into, the possibilities are endless.

“But you can’t go see anyone unless you’re healed up first ok?” Allison sternly pointed out to Benny as she tried to get the excited plushdemon to lay back down in the crate. “Now I got to go back to work (again) and I promise I will be right back.”

“Pro..mise?” Benny looked up at her from under the coat as he curled up within it.

Allison smiled at the sleepy demon “promise”

She waited for a few brief moments until she saw small Z’s float above the plushtoon before disappearing into thin air. Toonlogic was new to her so she stared at the smalls Z’s forming and disappearing in a set pattern with mild amusement. Being as careful as possible, she lifted the crate off the desk and carefully slid it back into the shelf trying not to disturb it’s sleeping cargo. Once she made sure Benny was secure and wouldn’t be found she grabbed her purse and wiped as much of the ink off it as she could before tip-toeing to the door.

With a hand resting on the door knob, Allison turned it as quietly as she could, and slowly opened it to keep it from making any noise. Once outside she quietly shut the door behind herself and turned to come face to face with Norman.

“Jesus!” Allison nearly shouted at the top of her lungs, jumping in place. Her heartbeat didn’t know whether or not to skip a beat or go a mile a minute.

“Oh I"m sorry for such a fright Mrs. Allison. I was jus’ passin’ though when I saw ya’ actin’ all quiet like. Everythin’ ok?” Norman politely inquired, his hand sctaching the back of his head as he stepped back slightly to give the rattled woman some space.

“Oh it’s fine, I just didn’t feel like letting the world know I was leaving my room, and heading back to work” Allison tried to laugh it off. She silently hated how Norman just seemed to appear and disappear at a moment’s notice and he was nearly undetectable. The man seemed to have eyes everywhere, she would have to be careful around him now that she has a guest in her room.

Allison glanced at her watch “Oh CRAP! I’m late! Sorry Norman I’ll talk to you later!” Allison took off like the little devil himself was chasing her. The last thing she wanted to hear was one of Sammy’s melodramatic lectures, complete with the pretend fainting spells.

Norman stood there confused as he watched Allison tear down the hall heading for the stairs. He glanced back at the door to her room and remembered how quiet and careful she had been acting. He shrugged, there ain’t no point in bothering the little lady on why she was acting that way. It’s probably best that he only kept watch and made sure 'prying eyes’ didn’t try anything behind Mrs. Allison’s back. After all she is the Studio’s angel and the fallen angel within their studio is quite a jealous lady. Norman readjusted his ball cap and continued down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww little Benny the stitched demon~
> 
> Benny started out as a character I drew while being quite sleep deprived and probably borderline insane. I was starting at the Heavenly Toy depiction of Bendy which is not only off model but covered in a few stitches. So I thought: what if the machine had been completed, but they needed to test run it first? So not wanting to sacrifice film reels and cells first they use a rejected Bendy doll from the toy factory. The doll was off model cause the pie cut eyes didn't match and was yellow, so no one would care if it would be used as practice. Next thing I know I drew Benny the stitched demon. I immediately started formulating not only how he got the stitches that appear on the real life doll but also the additional stitches that cover his body.
> 
> He started out as a joke idea that quickly grew on me and I had to write his story. I did several doodles depicting his arrival as well as his interactions with others. All of which could be found on my Tumblr https://fullmetaldevil-blog.tumblr.com/


	2. A Threat and  A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start heating up a bit with unsatisfactory thick through the air, the clock has been set, and the angel has been scorned. Will there be any relief, or only more pain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2 of the story thus far. I hope you all are enjoying the turn of events.
> 
> On with the show~

Allison flew to the music department nearly running over a few tired overworked animators along the way, stopping only briefly to apoligize before resuming her flight path. Her mind drifting to the image of the little toon sound asleep in a crate in her room, hoping that no one would enter the room looking for her. As Allison headed down the stairs to the newly remodeled Music department she could her a woman yelling sounding quite irate, her shrill voice growing louder as she neared the entrance to the department.

"What is the meaning of this, why am I being taken off the cast?!" A young dark haired woman was shouting at a young blonde man nearly a head and a half taller then herself. The irate woman seemed to have him pinned to the entrance logo of the department. 'Oh great' Allison thought to herself, it was Susie Cambell the former actress of the character Alice Angel. She had completely cornered Sammy and was blowing a gasket, even going so far as nearly shoving some paperwork she had in her hand in Sammy's face.

"Look Ms. Cambell that was not entirely my decision to make, Mr. Drew wanted to bring in Mrs. Connor for reasons he didn't specify. So please understand I'm just doing what he tells me to do, it's out of my hands" Sammy held up his hands in a placating manner trying to calm the irate Susie. From the tantrum Susie was throwing, to the frigid glare she shot Allison upon realizing she was standing there witnessing the whole scene, Susie lowered her tone and through gritted teeth hissed "Oh believe me, I will have a word with Mr. Joey Drew"

Susie stormed away from Sammy and as she waltzed past Allison to the stairs, she growled "I'm Alice Angel, not you". The rolling thunder and storm of Susie Cambell ascended the stairs taking all the tension of the room with her much to the relief of Sammy whom just barely got his breath back, visibly slumping against the wall as he relaxed.

"I apologize that you had to see that Mrs. Connor" as Sammy approached Allison scratching the back of his head sighing, "Mrs. Cambell is a very prideful, passionate woman, she's just a bit upset over the recent changes"

Allison knew she was a new hire for Joey Drew Studios and was to play the studio's character 'Alice Angel'. She had heard from her husband that she was replacing the, at the time, current voice actress Susie Cambell, and the fact that the actress in question was making a huge scene over the casting call change. She felt bad for the debunked actress, but sadly in the world of the film industry be it animation or live action, it was the nature of the business. Directors were often whimsical, changing their minds at a moments notice to the delight or dismay of those that worked under them. With Joey's growing reputation it seemed to be more of a case of dismay then delight.

Sammy motioned for Allison to follow him as they weaved through the department, glancing over her shoulder she noticed Norman was up in the projection booth as he briefly waved at her before resuming his task. Allison briefly returned the wave as she was lead through the doors entering the room where the band was, the lively bunch joyfully practicing the music, the violinist even going so far as to try his hand at tap dancing while the bass and banjo were dueling.

Allison had to stifle a laugh as Sammy marched over to the group trying to reign them in, which was going as well as herding a group of cats. The band was probably a bit livelier then Sammy's taste, but they were second to none. Obscenities were bouncing off the wall as Sammy was shouting at the Bass and banjo players to cease their playing while the violinist and drummer devolved into doing a kick line. Allison just took that as her cue to head to her recording booth, tapping the mic gently to get the bands attention. The looney bunch ceased their shenanigans as they each took up their instruments proper and waited for their conductor. Sammy let out a annoyed huff, picked up his baton, and stuck up the band.

The miniature orchestra practiced the entirety of the song just to get the feel, once completed they made minor adjustments to tuning, and the idle scribbling on the sheet music for minor corrections. Allison waited patiently as the band readied themselves for the actual recording, Sammy once again taking up the baton and glancing around the room, ensuring everyone was at the ready. The recording staff gave a small thumbs up to Sammy, indicating that they were ready to begin the recording. Norman also giving a thumbs up with his projector at the ready only to play the images as to help the 'help the mood of the song' as Sammy liked to refer to it.

With the wave of a hand and swing of a baton, the band roared to life with the joyous lighthearted music as the Alice angel short played on the wall behind them. Allison waiting for her cue as she followed the sheet music, watching the rests in the measures until the first note appeared on her page. She sang to her hearts content, pouring her very being into the role. Her mind briefly fluttered back to the images of Benny and his bright genuine smile he gave her, a smile that warmed her to her core. The comforting bliss of his provided warmth she weaved into the thread and fabric of the song, truly sounding like an angel.

Sammy was absolutely enthralled by Allison's voice as she sang, nearly drifting off into a peaceful bliss himself. Without a doubt Allison was the perfect pick for the role of Alice Angel. Allison had a way of making people feel like they were being grace by a real angel, not only in the world of 2D but also within reality. A soft soothing voice that carried the warmth of a comforting shroud that wraps around your very soul, the heavens light bathing the bearer in a peaceful bliss. Everything about Allison felt real, even if she did not have a physical halo above her, it felt like she did. 

Sammy's thoughts slowly drifted to Susie, he couldn't help but pity the woman. Susie had charm and a lot of talent but she lacked that substance of belief. She could sing and act very well but it always felt hollow, as if the angel was in mask only and what lay beneath was a deformed mass of greed and envy. While he may have had a hand in Susie being replaced, he could only hope that Susie would eventually get over her removal from the cast. That she won't be consumed by the rejection and hopefully won't take it out on others as a means of repairing her shattered pride and ego. Time could only tell.

As the song wrapped up Sammy glanced over the the recording booth where the team was evaluating the most recent recording. The group all gathered within the window all giving thumbs up with the widest grins they could muster, even Norman up in the projection booth giving his thumbs up as a show of approval. Sammy taking that as a 'job well done' he turned to face the band raising his voice. "Well done gentleman, take 5 for now, I'll be back." as he stepped away from the podium to join the recording team in evaluating the song. Though he felt that the session was done for the day, as the song he just witnessed couldn't be repeated.

While Sammy was away, the band came out to play, the group striking up a lively jazzy tune as they didn't have Sammy's scornful eyes watching them. Allison giggling as she stepped out of her booth to join the group, taking care to give the tap dancing violinist some much needed space. The man was an absolute tap dancing fool as he tapped himself on and off the stage as if he was giving a performance to a imaginary crowd. The bass player, banjo player, and pianist all encouraging him with their music and cheers, Allison even clapping on the side as he wrapped up his dance and took a bow.

Just as he finished his musical number Sammy stepped out of the recording booth looking rather amused at the groups antics. "Good show gentleman, perhaps you should try your hand at broadway." Sammy chuckled as the violinist realized he had the entire recording team as a audience when he thought they weren't paying attention. The young man turned red in embarrassment, even sparing a glance up at the Projection Booth realizing that Norman was clapping in cheers at the show, his face could not get any redder. 

"Nevertheless it was a stunning performance gentleman and lovely lady" as he gestured to Allison. "We got a perfect recording in one shot, for that I thank you all, and we finished up in record time. You all can head home early for today" The drummer and pianist both broke into cheers and made a mad dash for the exit when Sammy raised his voice catching their attention "However! Please make sure to collect the sheet music for tomorrow before you pack up for the day." Sammy's eyes dead focused on the two attempted escapees. Both men stopped dead in their tracks as their shoulders slumped, both moaning like zombies to the grave as they approached the podium to collect their respective music for the morrow's session. 

Collecting all the necessary sheet music the drummer and pianist said their good-byes as they slowly exited the department under the watchful gaze of their director. Sammy sighed loudly as he rubbed his temples, leaving the remaining band members and Allison as he exited the department. Norman observing that their resident drama queen was gone, he cleaned up his projectors, put the reels away, and left his projection room to join the remaining members in idle conversation.

The remaining staff was all gathered round one another joyously chatting about their personal lives or the latest gossip within Joey Drew studios. However, as soon as the topic shifted over to the latest gossip of the studio, concern was a thick fog draped over the air as they were discussing the rumors of a worker getting injured by their latest annoyance the ink machine.

"Yeah I heard that a man got hurt from the machine and was taken to the hospital" the Banjo player, voiced in a hushed tone as he recounted what he had heard. Fearing that he he spoke too loudly Sammy would somehow hear him.

"Yeah right. Did you see that sign above the infirmary? They most likely dragged that poor soul to a random room and just laid him to rest. You know Joey is too cheap for hospital bills" the bass player crossing his arm glancing at the banjo player in disbelief.

"Yeah most likely, I dunno what's up with Joey. I know he pays our bills an all, but it's startin' to feel like he don't care about none of us. Especially since Henry left." The younger violinist quietly chiming in.

The group of men couldn't help but nod their heads in agreement. Joey had been constantly increasing the staffs workload. Even when Henry the lead animator and co-founder was on staff, Joey would always push the man to do more and more. Many couldn't help but wonder about Henry's stamina since he seemed to just put up with Joey's antics despite the whispers of concerned staff, even Susie expressing concerns to Henry about his constant workload punishment, to a point where he wouldn't see his wife for extended periods. The day that Henry had received notice that he was being drafted was the day that many thought the studio was gonna fall apart by Joey's hand. The argument between Henry and Joey went down in infamy as the two bitterly parted ways. From that day forward, any and all commentary and gossip regarding Henry was strictly forbidden. Joey just seemed to be falling apart at the seems after the two best fiends broke apart, and the studio was paying for it. The increasing workloads, the threats of termination and now this obsession over this ink machine, it seemed like Joey truly lost his mind and cared little for the people working under him, they were disposable.

Allison had to nod her head in agreement as well, while she may not have known Henry, she was well aware of the pressure being placed on the staff. She especially pitied her husband whom was part of the development team for the ink machine and the constant harassment by Joey was not helping the man. She could recall the days when Tom would come home just bathed in ink, looking worse for wear and absolutely exhausted. Concern shot through Allison like an arrow, Tom was supposed to be finishing up the ink machine project soon, could he have gotten hurt? Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she curled in on herself slightly.

Norman noticed the sudden change in Allison's demeanor and excused himself from the group to sit next to the concerned woman, patting her shoulder to get her attention. "I'm sure it'll be fine Mrs. Allison, don't worry about Tom none, the boys a tough cookie. I'm sure ain't no harm come to 'em." Norman smiled at her to ease her nerves. He always seemed to know what was on her mind. Allison relaxed at the thought of Tom being ok, but she still had her reservations about what may have happened.

Allison knew that the infamous ink machine was built for Joey Drew per his request and what it was actually supposed to do remains a mystery. No one within the staff knew, not even the GENT staff knew. The only ones who would potential know or would know would be Joey or Thomas. Joey was as tight as a drum on information regarding the machine no matter who asked. Tom seemed to know, but had explained that under the contract that he couldn't leak confidential information regarding clients requests. She had assumed that it was for making ink to supply the animation department but there was no way on earth they needed that much ink, the cartoons are small 2D drawings not a 3D ink model.  
Allison's mind instantly shot back to Benny, the living bendy doll that was leaking ink, seemingly a life force for him somehow. Considering Tom and Joey both being secretive about what the true purpose of the machine was, she was convinced that Benny was part of whatever that machine was meant to do. But how? How can a machine that was presumably only designed to make ink, make a living toon that should only exist on the 2-Dimensional plane? Plus the fact that Benny was nearly scrapped shortly after birth for being 'off model'. She was starting to piece together the potential chain of events; that the ink machine is somehow bringing toons to life and that the ultimate goal is to make Bendy the star of the studio, but it's not complete yet since Benny didn't come out how they wanted. The studio was already paying the price for the machine and then Benny's creation, how much will it take to make Bendy? How much more will the studio suffer?  
Allison laid her head on her hands briefly as she mental whispered a small prayer 'Please, once the machine is complete, let the studio go back to it's glory days where the staff was happy. Please don't let it be the downfall of the studio and doom us all'.

"hey, you alright?" Norman's words snapping Allison out of her brief prayer and thoughts.

"Oh I'm fine, just a bit tired is all." brushing off Norman's concern.

"Well maybe ya outta head home fer the day." Norman sighed as he looked at Allison. He knew that her and Tom were very close and that with the development of the machine it was putting a strain on the both of them. Now with the rumor of the machine injuring people he knew Allison would automatically assume it was Tom since he is the closest to the strange contraption. Both of them just need a break, hopefully once that machine is finished everything will go back to some sense of normalcy.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea" Allison smiled as she slowly rose from her seat. Taking a moment to wave her good-byes at the remaining band members whom long since gave up on gossiping and resumed their musical shenanigans. Allison rolled her eyes and quietly excused herself from the room as she strolled out of the department making her way back to her dressing room.

Along the way Allison watched as the animators frantically ran back and forth with papers and cells in hand, finishing up for the day as several were packing their bags for home. she briefly stopped and eyed a empty desk that had a lone inkwell sitting atop. Carefully glancing over her shoulder, she reached out and quickly pocketed the inkwell, turning on her heel she swiftly left the desk and resumed her trip.

Upon reaching her desired destination Allison glanced around to make sure no one was watching her as she quietly slipped inside and closed it quietly behind herself. She felt around the dark room till her fingers brushed against a light switch and she flicked them on, the light flickering slightly before settling on a smooth glow. She set her purse down on the edge of one of the chairs as she tip-toed to the back shelf to quietly check on her sleeping companion.

Allison carefully grabbed the handles of the crate and slowly slid it out of the shelf to reveal a sleeping Benny curled up within her jacket. She sighed in relief that no one found him, but then again this was her room. No one would have a real reason to enter other then to look for her.

Benny winced at the sudden light as he slowly stirred, blinking his eyes a few times trying to adjust to the light. Once his eyes focused they grew wide along with a huge smile plastered on his face as he made a happy speak upon seeing a familiar face. "ALLISON!" Benny leapt from his crate, crashing into Allison's chest nuzzling his head into her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her neck as he hugged her. He winced slightly from the sudden movement since he was still sore, but he didn't care he got to see her again, she didn't leave him.

Allison was initially shocked by the sudden snap reaction of the toon but was swift to return the hug. She giggled "Hey Benny, how are you feeling?"

"Fee....ling?" He cocked his head in confusion. He didn't quite understand what the word meant.

Allison looked at him in mild shock at his question, he didn't seem to know how to talk very well yet and the only words he recounted were ones he had previously heard. She could only mentally chuckle to herself, this little toon truly was like a small child. He was innocent more ways then one and was still learning how the world works, but did not get the best start and now he has to try again. She would have to teach him the best she can and hopefully she can get him out of the studio, somehow.

Putting her thoughts aside, she focused on teaching him how to talk properly. "Ummm...." She tilted her head to the side in contemplation. "Feeling. Like if you feel happy " she made a smile . "if you feel sad" she frowned. "Or angry" she made a angry pouting face. She hoped that by adding the facial expressions it would help the toon understand what each emotion was and how to describe them.

The toon stared at her, studying her face and listening to her words trying to figure out how he felt. He pointed up at her "Happy!" with a grin, but the grin faltered to a frown when he placed one hand over his left eye and the other on his stomach "sad". 

Allison realized what he was trying to say; She makes him happy, but he is still in pain from the injuries. "You mean 'hurt'". She corrected him with a small frown of her own. 

"Hurt?"

" It means when you feel pain." She pointed at his stomach as an example "when this happened, what you felt was pain. Pain usually leads to sadness and when you were crying in my arms earlier, what you felt, was 'sadness'." She slightly smiled at him reassuringly "But even though pain hurts and it takes time to heal, there will always be someone there to help you through the pain. Sadness can and will turn into happiness with support of those that care about you."

Benny quietly contemplated her words as he slowly processed how he really felt about the situation he was harshly handed. "I.. don't.. like.. pain.. it.. hurts.. and.. it.. makes.. me.. sad" The toon whispered while bowing his head "but.. you.. were.. there.. to.. help.. me.. and.. it.. made.. me.. happy." He looked up at her with a small smile. "I.. just.. need.. time.. to.. heal"

"Yes. All injuries take time to heal whether they be here" Allison placed a hand on his chest where his heart would be "or here" she patted him on the head. "But I am glad I found you and was able to help you" She gently picked him up in her arms and cradled him "You are a sweetheart more ways then one."

He looked up at her as she held him within her arms "Are.. you.. hurting.. too?"

She was taken back by his question. She had a bit of a rough start to her day, first she finds a living Bendy doll in distress in her dressing room, then her 'drive by attitude problem' of Susie. Not to mention the rumor mill of the ink machine and how Benny is most likely connected to it, the high possibility of her husband getting hurt from it, let alone the very questionable future of the studio. However seeing the little plushtoon looking up at her with hope made it all better.

She reached down and gently stroked the area between his horns. " No. Seeing you, made my day all the better" He yawned as he leaned into her touch. 

"Now you need to get some rest, you had quite a day" Allison gently shuffled Benny to one arm, freeing up the other to fix the bedding so the toon can lay back down. As she bent over to fix the coat bed she bumped her purse causing it to fall to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. The noise generated from the bag spilling made Allison groan inwardly as she turned to glare at the bag in betrayal, eyeing the spilt contents. The rolling inkwell caught her eye, still cradling Benny she reached out and gently picked up the inkwell. 

Allison had always seen the inkwells on the animators desks but never really took the chance to look at them proper. She was slightly disturbed by the white skull and crossbone mark on the bottle itself, but other then the eerie label it looked like normal ink. How can ink make something come to life? It's supposed to be a artists tool for creating a image.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a sleepy voice "Is.. that.. ink?"

Allison looked down to see Benny staring at the inkwell in her hand, rubbing his eyes as he was fighting off sleep. "Yeah it is" as she brought the bottle to his eye level so he can see it better.

"Can.. I.. have..it.. please..? I.. need.. it.." Benny looked up at her with tired pleading eyes. Allison couldn't bring herself to say 'no' to the sleepy demon as she handed him the bottle. To her surprise he opened it and gulped it down like it was water, once the well was dry he handed it back to her. "Thank.. you" 

Allison wanted to ask him why he drank the bottle but just as she was about to ask, she saw small Z's floating above his head, he fell asleep again. She was gonna have to save her questions for another day. She bent down and resumed her fixing the coat bed, once she was satisfied she laid the toon back down in the bed and tucked him in. She carefully lifted the crate and returned it to its proper place on the shelf.  
Allison stared at the crate that contained the sleeping demon and her thoughts drifted back to when she was stitching him earlier in the day, how the ink within his body seemed to absorb the threads used to close his injuries. He had ink within his body that acted like a life force, like how blood works for humans. Her only conclusion was that he needs a supply of ink like how humans need food, but it was only a guess. She had no real way of asking him and while she did have food in her bag, with all the ink that leaked onto the bag from helping him, she doubted it was any good anymore. She'll just have to see if she can wipe a inkwell or two and bring extra food tomorrow and see what happens.

Being as quiet as she could, Allison bent down as gathered up her things that had fallen from her bag. She eyed her fallen sewing kit, it was small but it was able to do so much. Glancing at the shelf again she quietly slid the crate back out just far enough to slip in the sewing kit next to the sleeping toon. Sliding the crate back into place, she stood back up and headed for the door, stopping only briefly to glance over her shoulder at the shelf. She hoped that Benny would sleep through the night peacefully, and that at the first opportunity she was going to get him out of the studio, but how? Ever since Joey had the ink machine installed he had increased security at the studio, he called it "Protecting creative property". It was just his fancy excuse of making sure people weren't sneaking any of the finished cells off the studio lot, it's not like he needed the cells and drawings for anything, so why would it matter? She would have to buy her time and wait for a opportunity.

She whispered a soft "Good-night Benny" as she carefully closed the door and headed down the hall, taking a brief detour to drop off the now empty inkwell at the desk she pilfered from earlier. She could only hope to ask Tom about how his day at work went, but she would have to wait till later in evening when he would return home. Opening up the main door she stepped out and headed home.

_________________________________

Tom slowly sat up cradling his head in his hand, groaning from the ache he felt in his sides. He felt like his mind was swimming in circles and he had a killer headache. He felt around feeling that he was on a couch of some sort and even had a small ice pack on him, it contents long since melted. What happened? And where is he? 

"Oh good, you're awake" a low voice acknowledged Tom's groans as he slowly came to.

Tom turned his head to face the voice in question, his head killing him and the bright light kicking up the intensity of the headache by several notches. Squinting his eye and blinking them a few times before the haze gave way revealing the nature of his surroundings. Burgundy walls, a radio and gramophone in one corner, a potted plant and shelving full of film reels in the other, and at the center of it all, a large desk and chair with a figure facing him. The desk and chair of the studios director; Joey drew.

"Ugh. What do you want?" as he glared at Joey inwardly loathing his new location. He remembered the creation of the small toon and the confrontation that followed. He knew that if he was in Joey's office rather then the infirmary, that Joey was by no sense of the word done with him.

However Joey just seemed to sit there as he fingered through some papers on his desk, his cold grey eyes examining the contents critically, not even sparing a glance at tom. A gramophone playing music from the Bendy cartoons was the only thing to break the unsettling silence of the room. The scene before him left tom on edge as he dare not move a muscle. He knew the temper of the director and was he was seeing felt like 'the calm before the storm'.

Joey stopped looking over the paperwork as he closed up the papers within a book, his eyes full of disappointment as he looked up at Thomas. "Now you and I both know that you may have said some things that you didn't mean. I'm a generous man and I'm willing to look past your past transgressions as long as the ink machine is finished and my toons are perfect" Joey calmly leaned back in his chair, hands folded in his lap as he waited for Tom's answer. His grey eyes unflinching in their gaze.

"Your machine is finished Mr. Drew-" before he could finish Joey slammed a hand on the desk.

"No it is NOT finished. It produced a flawed product and you will perfect the machine. I have paid you and your team good money to not have failures."

Tom was already fuming from the earlier transgressions he had with Joey and was steadily growing frustrated, not to mention the directors accusations that he and his team didn't do their jobs. They had been working tirelessly on the ink machine and it worked. It produced a small living toon that responded to human interaction. All that time of planning, building, repairing, and the blood sweat and tears of the crew paid off. As far as he was concerned, his job was over. "You get what you put in. We tested it to be sure it would work by using a REJECTED Bendy doll. A toy that got cut from the line because of some small defect, and guess what, it worked! It was small, but it responded to movement and sounds like how a newborn should! You can't expect anything that is brought to life to act like how it would in the cartoons right out of the box! It has no experience, no memories, no developed personality, no one for it to call family!"

By the time Tom had finished his rant he had his fist balled up tight and was shaking from the pent up rage. The director had tried to claim a small innocent life that was just born because it didn't look and act the way it was supposed to. What he saw from the little toon was the look of a baby looking up at its parent. It was a image that was forever burned into his mind, and the mere thought of that being taken way ate at him to his very core.

Joey sighed and looked at Tom with an unamused almost glacier look "Toons are things that we create to entertain, to horrify, to endear, to please the masses in anyway the creator feels fit. They do not have a personality beyond what we give them. They are the puppets and we pull the strings. What you saw was nothing more then a soulless response, an illusion of living. It had nothing of Bendy programmed into it other then his image. **THE REAL BENDY** will be perfect because we will be using his film reels and his original sketches. You say they won't act the way they are supposed to right out of the box. Well Bendy **WILL** act the way he is supposed to right out of the box, and you will make sure it will not **FAIL**."

Tom wanted to argue back but Joey raised a single hand cutting him off before he got started. "Oh, and before you get any ideas about not finishing, sabotaging, or reporting this incident in any way shape or form, do keep in mind that your wife is on my payroll. It would be a shame if she were to not come home from work because something bad happened. So if I were you I'd finish what I started, and I'm only giving you a week. No more delays" Joey's words seem to cut through Tom and had his heart on a choke hold as he knew the severity of the threat. 

"Y-yes s-sir" Tom hung his head as knew he couldn't fight back. Joey was a cunning man and who knows what he would do to his wife. He would have no choice but to keep his mouth shut and comply with Joey's demands. He would have no choice but to meet the demands of the maddening director or else lose everything he held dear.

Joey stood up from his desk and with cane in hand hobbled over to Tom"Good man, now hurry along home to the missus and rest up. You have alot of work ahead of you, and remember it's our little secret" Joey patted Tom on the back and lead him to the door sending him off. Once he knew the man was gone Joey returned to his desk and eyed the papers. He reached into his desk and pulled out a small shot glass, brandy, and small black book. He smiled at the book as he poured himself some brandy and rested in his chair. "To the illusion of living" as he held his glass high in the air for a toast before drinking the beverage.

\-------------- Later that evening ------------

Tom had returned home absolutely exhausted and frustrated. There was nothing he could do to combat Joey without the risk of getting his wife involved. He loved her deeply, and that love was being used against him. He already worried her enough with his involvement with the studio's suspicious project, and to hell with making matters worse.

He came into the kitchen to find Allison already cooking dinner and happily humming to herself, swaying slightly back and forth to the rhythm of the tune.

"Hey hun, you seem happy. Something good happen?" As he gently hugged her trying to peer into the pots she had cooking on the stove.

She waved him off "Yes and no. I had a small run in with Susie earlier, but to be honest they day ended up pretty good. How was yours?" She had turned to face him when she saw the bruise on his cheek. "What happened here?!" She gently cupped her hand on the side of his face turning his head slightly to examine the injury, concern all over her face.

He grimaced at her for a brief moment remembering the lingering threat now over his head. "Oh nothing much. I got slapped by a pipe that burst and flailed around. It's nothing serious." As he tried to joke about it. The last thing he needed was her getting involved. He didn't want to ever lie to her, she was a good woman whom took care of him, he wanted her to be happy and out of harms way, even if he would have to take a blow or two for her.

"I wish you would be more careful. I know your job has risks and Joey puts a lot on your plate, but please don't let him put on too much to where you can't handle it. If it gets too much, ask Wally to help you. He's supposed to anyways." Allison softly spoke as she let go of his face. She wanted to deny the eerie coincidence of her husband coming home with an injury and the rumor of the ink machine harming a staffer, but he said it was just a pipe burst and those were on a regular and rising basis.

Tom had to stifle a snort, he knew Wally at times was next to useless. He had tried to explain to him how to work the machine, and how to handle some situations that would come with it, No matter what was said Wally just didn't seem to get it. He wondered if the only thing that floated through the janitors head was chocolate cake. "Don't worry honey, if things get too out of hand I'll have him help" he chuckled. In the back of his mind he knew all the things he got on his plate, just got worse. The pendulum of time was slowly ticking down to the end, the face of the clock void of emotion and life as it axe like pendulum swung ever closer. A guillotine waiting to drop. Tom just gently grabbed Allison and wrapped her in a hug, unsure of how often he would be able to embrace her, or if he would be able to do it again.

Allison was initially surprised at his hug, but returned it"Ok, ok well go sit down. Dinner's almost ready" as she gently pried his reluctant arms off her as she shooed him to the table, turning to resume looking over the pot stirring it's contents.

Tom sat down on the kitchen table when he saw Allison's purse, one entire side covered in pitch black splotches.

"Honey?" He called out.

"Yes?"

"What happened to your purse? It's brand new and you got black stuff all over it"

"Oh, one of the pipes sprayed a bit of ink at me as I was heading to the recording session today. I tried to wipe it off but I guess I didn't get it all"

Allison knew better then to tell her husband about the Bendy doll she patched up in her dressing room. He wouldn't believe her and even if he did, she was afraid he would take the little plushdemon from her. She had her suspicions about Tom's connection to the machine and connection to Benny, but it is clear he can't talk about it. Maybe when the Machine is complete and things roll over that Tom will tell her what really happened. For now she had to keep Benny a secret and could only hope the small toon was ok.

Tom left it at that, deciding to not dwell on the matter as a big bowl of spaghetti was placed in front of him. The couple didn't say anything more except the quiet hums of appreciation for the good food. Thomas quietly sat there and thought to himself 'with joey's uncaring attitude the real Bendy will fail'.

\---------------Meanwhile at the studio----------------

A female figure wandered through the studio glancing over her shoulder keeping a watchful eye for any potential onlookers. She paced down the halls and approached a lone door with “Allison Connor” painted on a placard. Looking around to confirm there were no witnesses, she opened the door and walked inside loosely closing it behind herself. Failing to realize the door was slightly ajar.

Fingering around with only the thin light from the outside to guide her, she finally located the light switch turning it on. The flickering light illuminated the scowl on the woman's face as she glared about the room. As the light settled she marched strait to the back of the room at the book case and started rifling through the random boxes and books on the upper shelves. The noise she made startled the sleeping toon on the bottom shelf.

Benny was confused by the sudden noise being made on the upper shelves. He thought maybe Allison came back! He peered a part of his head out of his crate and through a gap in the shelving to look up at the location of the noise, ready to leap out into her arms in sheer excitement. The person he saw made him freeze and scoot as far back in his crate as he could go without making noise. This person was not Allison! He didn't know who this mystery woman was and was thankful she didn't see him, the brief scowl on her face that he saw reminded him of of that ax wielding man. He would hear her rummaging though the contents on the upper shelves, making frustrated noises as she didn't seem to find whatever she was looking for. The toon's heart started to race in fear, he could hear her steadily getting closer and closer to his bottom shelf.

“Hey Mrs. Allison what are ya doin' here so la-” The creaking of the door was heard as the mans voice instantly cut off at the sight before him.

“Ms. Cambell?! What are ya doin' in Mrs. Allison's room?!” The man raised his voice in shock, appalled at the image before him.

Susie closed the book she had in her hand as she faced her discoverer. “Why Norman, I was only returning a book I had borrowed from Allison earlier. I came in here seeing that her door was open thinking she was in here and she wasn't, so I just figured I'd return the book and tell her about it later. No harm no foul” Susie smiled devilishly at Norman as she sashayed to the door leaving the room all the while under Normans unamused scornful glare.

Norman sighed inwardly as he watched Susie disappear down the hall, he didn't trust that woman as far as he could throw her and he don't hurt little ladies. He closed the door behind himself and turned his attention to the “returning a book to the shelf” as Susie liked to call it, she had completely trashed the book case with several papers on the floor. He groaned slightly as he stooped over to pick up the scattered papers off the floor. As he bent down he saw that there were some dried ink spots at the base of the shelving. He knew he ain't no janitor but he reached for a spare cloth that he always carried and tried to clean up the dried ink.

Benny could only hold his breath as he watched a man he didn't know get dangerously close to his hiding spot. He scooted as far back into his crate as he could, still being thwarted by it's walls as his foot accidentally kicked a small black box against the wall of the crate. He turned white as a sheet as the box tapped against the wall, making the only sound to be heard in the entire room.

“huh?” Norman turned his attention to the lower shelf as he heard the small sound. He figured that perhaps Susie broke something in her 'returning a book' session as he starting moving some of the items on the bottom shelf, noticing the ink stains in the back corner and around the base of a crate.

'Now how did ink git back there?' Norman thought to himself as he got on his hand and knees to clean up the shelving, surprised at the fact that ink hadn't completely dried let alone the amount present. 'Dag-nab-bit, Did dat stupid boy Wally hide stuff again?' Norman mentally grumbled to himself as he continued cleaning, once he was satisfied with the spotless shelf he turned to slide the crate out to clean under it.

Benny watched in horror as a pair of unfamiliar hands grabbed onto his crate and he could feel it being pulled out into the open. Mentally screaming 'No nonono!'.

“The hell?” Norman mumbled as a pair of mismatched pie cut eyes looked up at him in horror. A small black figure that strongly resembled Bendy staring up at him from the crate. The man and toon quiet for a brief moment before hell broke loose and the toon let out a loud squeaky toy like scream as he tried to dash out of the shelf and past the man, knocking the crate on its side spilling it's contents.

Normans hand shot out and grabbed the squirming, screaming toon as he tried to escape. “whoa, whoa there little fella its okay, I ain't gonna hurt 'cha” as he tried to calm down this small creature in his hands.

Benny wiggled and tried to fight off the man for all he was worth, which apparently wasn't much cause the man had a cast iron grip on him, and yet the grip did not hurt him. While he wasn't hurting as bad a he was earlier, he was still sore from the days events. Inky tears streaming down his face in distress, he just wanted to catch a break from people hurting him. Is that too much to ask?

“it's ok little guy, see I ain't gonna hurt ya” As Norman raised Benny to his eye level smiling at him. “Now stop dat cryin', I ain't gonna do nothin' to ya” 

Benny just gave up there was no way out of this mans grip, but he said he said he wasn't gonna hurt him. Can he be trusted? Benny hung limp in Norman's grip looking at him with merciful eyes, wondering what this man will with him.

To Benny's surprise, Norman leaned back sitting on the ground cross legged as he set him in his lap. “Now see, not so bad. “ as he used his hand to wipe away Benny's tears. He spotted the fallen coat and scooped it up, gently wrapping the coat around the distressed toon as a blanket.

“I..thought.. you.. were.. gonna.. hurt.. me..” Benny quietly spoke after calming down a bit, slightly relaxing within the coat as Norman wrapped it around him.

Norman was shocked on multiple levels. 1. This creature looks like the studios star Bendy, and 2. It talks. 3. How is his head floating separate from his body? He has no neck. He couldn't help but wonder if this little guy was the reason why Joey seemed to have his underwear in a knot earlier as he seemed to be searching about the studio. He smiled at this small 'Bendy', the way he acted reminded him of his little sister when she would do something wrong and would try and run away only to be caught. She would cry her eyes out and only after sitting with her and talking quietly would she calm down after awhile.

“Now, why would you think I'd do that'?” Norman softly asked as he gently petted 'Bendy' between his horns.

“Because.. that.. other.. man.. hurt.. me..” Benny placed his gloved hand near his cheek brushing slightly against the stitches.

“Now son, I ain't gon' hurt a fly, an' a I sure ain't gon' hurt you” as Norman glanced down at the toon in his lap and noted the stitches on his face. 'Looks like this little guy has been through a lot already' he thought to himself. He decided to treat the toon the same way he treats his sister and ask simple questions to paint a picture of what happened and how this little guy got here. That is, if the little 'Bendy' was willing to talk and willing to trust him.

“Do you know what the guy that did dat to ya look like?” as he pointed to the toon's face.

Benny nodded his head. 'Good' Norman thought 'off to a good start'.

“was he young 'o old?”

Benny tilted his head in confusion “what.. does.. that.. mean..? He didn't know what age was, he was still very young.

Norman inwardly sighed 'This may be harder then I thought'. His sister at least had a better vocabulary then this little 'Bendy' but then again it is a testimony to his age. If he has a limited vocabulary that is still developing then that means he isn't that old. He definitely had something to do with the ruckus in the studio earlier, he just needed to confirm his suspicions.

“Was he tall 'o short?”

Benny scrunched up his face as he pondered over the man's height. He wasn't really sure how tall the guy really was, after all he was kneeling on the floor when he was struck. “I.. don't.. know.. but.. I know.. his.. eyes” Benny muttered as he rung the edges of the coat nervously. He couldn't help but wonder why this man was asking him so many questions with quite a few words he didn't really know what they mean. What was this man after? He did say he wasn't going to hurt him, but why is he looking for his attacker? Does he know him? Will he turn him in?

“what did they look like? What color were they?”

Benny knew what color was but didn't know the name. He new that the color of his attacker's eyes was a similar to the color of this mans shirt. Benny carefully reached out and pulled on Normans sleeve. “They.. were.. like.. this” He could only hope his describing the man wouldn't backfire on him.

Norman looked down a the hand tugging on his sleeve and realized that the color of 'Bendy"s attacker's eyes were Grey. Unfortunately there was only one man in the building that would have Grey eyes and would be near the machine and that was the studio's director Joey Drew. This confirmed that 'Bendy' was there at the machine with Joey and that Joey had attacked him. The ruckus earlier was Joey trying to find and finish off this little guy. Norman felt a sense of pity for the toon to be attacked the way he was, but who helped him? And why was he hiding in Mrs. Allison's room? 

Norman's face bounded from a clear scowl to a somber expression as he pondered the little bits of information Benny had provided. Benny could tell this man didn't seem to approve of what he had told him, but wondered why he had a sad face suddenly. 

“Hey Bendy?” Norman asked, but stopped when Benny gave a small frown at him. Great, now what did he do?

“My.. name's.. Benny” Benny spoke as he looked up at Norman. He had already been made aware by Allison that he bared a strong resemblance to 'Bendy' and had drawn a conclusion that he was attacked because of that resemblance. That because of 'Bendy' he got hurt, but he couldn't fault the toon. It was the psycho with the ax that was the cause of his misery.

“Uh, ok...Benny. Who stitched ya? I mean ya can't do something like this without help” as he pointed to the stitches on Benny's face.

Benny being a hesitant because of his suspicions about Norman quietly answered “Allison”

Norman nearly doubled over laughing, he thought it was ironic in some weird way. Allison was the studio's angel more ways then one, and she even helped out a creature she knew nothing about other then the fact that it was hurt. He knew full well Thomas, her husband, had been developing the ink machine thanks to Joey and that the result of the machine ended up in his wife's hands. Oh boy, Joey has got to be pissed. He could only imagine the look on the directors face at the mere fact that his little pet project disappeared and he got nothing out of it.

Benny was shocked buy the mans sudden outburst. What was so funny?

Norman struggled to get his laughing fit under control, wiping the tears away from his eyes. “Bud, I ain't surprised dat it was Mrs. Allison dat helped ya. She is a good friend 'o mine, and dat little lady sure is a sweetheart. She'd take on the world if it meant dat she'd be helpin' someone out of a jam.”

Benny stared blankly, then a huge smile was plastered on his face. This man, Norman and Allison were friends! This was someone he could trust, another person who he knows won't hurt him, maybe he could be friends with Norman too. Benny's smile faltered as he looked at Norman with questioning eyes. “Who.. was.. that.. lady.. from.. earlier?..She's.. scary.”

“Ah, now dat little lady be a shrew. Her name's Ms. Susie Cambell and she don' like Mrs. Allison much. See Susie use to be an actress for one 'o the characters for the cartoons 'ere, but 'ol Sammy brought Mrs. Allison in 'nstead and has 'er playin' the character now. Needless 't say the little lady din' take it well. She was probably snoopin' around earlier tryin' to find somethin' to use to go after Mrs. Allison. Good thin' I came in when I did or she might 'o found ya”

'So.. what.. happens.. now?” as Benny looked up at Norman. The was a bit of a pause as Norman glanced at his watch, it was already getting late and he still had work to finish up.

“well fer starters, it's kinda late so I best be finishin' up mah rounds and headin' home. I doubt Ms. Cambell will be comin' back anytime soon now dat she got caught. As fer you, you'd best be getting off to bed, and I'll be seein' ya in the mornin', but before I go is there anythin' that you need before I leave?”

Benny looked down nervously, he didn't want to ask this nice man any real favors that he may not be able to pay back, Norman had already done him a huge favor by chasing off Susie. “Umm.. if.. it's.. ok.. can..I.. have.. some.. ink.. please?” Benny rung the edges of the coat while rocking on his heel slightly, not looking Norman in the eyes.

Norman lifted a brow at the strange request, but decided to humor the toon. He very much reminded him of his little sister when she would shyly for little things, it made him smile at the similarities. He slowly stood up grunting slightly from his body protesting being on the floor for a good while, he walked over set the toon on the chair still wrapped up in his coat blanket. Now that he got a better look at the coat that fell out of the crate it was one of Allison's favorite coats, he saw her wearing it all the time. He told the toon to stay put and that he'll be right back. Grabbing the doorknob he glanced back at the waiting toon as he slipped out into the hall heading towards the heart of the animation department.

Norman thanked the heavens that none of the animators were on overtime as he rummaged through random desks swiping several ink wells for which he was thankful they were full. He couldn't help but wonder why Joey was going through all the trouble with the ink machine, but after meeting a small product of the contraption he couldn't help but be amazed and concerned at the same time. The little toon 'Benny' as he was calling himself behaved like a small child, and having a younger sister he knew full well that small children mirror their parents and surroundings in their early years of development. 'Benny' seemed to developing at a good pace and if he has the right people he will be fine young toon, but what about everything else? It is obvious that the marks left on 'Benny' were done out of disapproval, so what will happen if anything else that follows has that negativity as a example? Norman shuttered at the thought of the high possibility of Joey using the machine to make a monster, after all what you put in is what you get out.

Satisfied with a arm full of inkwells, Norman returned to the dressing room to find the toon exactly where he had left him. Benny made a small happy noise to see that Norman had kept his word and came back. His eye's lit up at seeing all the inkwells, to Norman it reminded him of a child that was told that Christmas was coming early and he could only chuckle at the toon's sparkling eyes. It must be a toon thing. As he approached the chair he heard a small 'klack' sound as his boot had kicked something, looking down he saw that it was some sort of small black box. 

“Hey Benny, can ya get that fer me please?” Benny nodded his head and hopped off the chair as he picked up the box turning it over in his hands. He face scrunched up as he examined the box till a small light bulb lit above his head in recognition, it was that black box that was in the crate with him when he accidentally kicked it earlier. Norman walked over to the desk and carefully set all the inkwells down as Benny walked up to him with the box in hand. Norman bent down and lifted Benny up onto the desk so he could reach the inkwells. Setting the box down, Benny opened each inkwell one by one and downed them as Norman picked up the box and opened it to examine its contents. 

Norman was wasn't surprised to find that it was a sewing kit, this was Allison's room and she was the one that helped Benny so it figured that she may have either forgotten it or left it with him. “That.. was.. the.. box.. that.. Allison.. had” Benny commented as he finished the last of the pile of inkwells, setting the empty bottle down with the rest of them.

“Yeah, this is her lil' sewing kit that she sometimes carries around” Norman carefully examined the scissors noting the small traces of ink on the base of the scissors. 'Yep, she definitely used this to help the lil' guy out' he chuckled to himself. “Hey lil' guy, you wanna hang on to this for 'er?” As he closed up the box holding it out to Benny.

“Ok..” Benny took the box from him. He looked at it before another light bulb lit above his head and he stuck his tongue out in concentration. Norman watched as Benny used his fingers to wedge them between the folds on the stitches of his stomach as he pried his stomach open partially. He carefully slid the box between a gap in the stitching as let go of the fold as his stomach closed back up. Norman had no words for what he just witnessed, he literally saw what to him looked like a mouth on the toon's stomach just swallow a box.

“umm.....” as he tried to figure out what just happened “Benny what did ya do?” As Norman knew his jaw must be hanging at the sight before him.

Benny rocked on his heel slightly with a sheepish look on his face as he looked up at Norman “See.. I'm.. a.. toon,.. but.. I'm.. also.. a.. doll.. So.. I.. can.. hide.. things.. inside.. myself.”

“ok... so it's like an internal hammerspace? An it didn' hurt to open up a hole like dat?” Norman was familiar with how toons worked but he had never seen a toon have a internal hammerspace, it was always something like box, bag or something that was behind the toon that they would magically pull out whatever they needed for the gag. This little guy just opened his stomach like a pouch and placed objects inside himself.

“Not.. really,.. I.. got.. a.. lot.. of.. ink.. now.. so.. I.. don't.. really.. hurt.. ” Benny rubbed the back of his head. Even he was a bit confused himself how exactly his body worked, but when he saw how Allison's bag was, it made him wonder if he could treat his body like a bag since he was also a toy. So now he knew for certain that he can hide objects within a internal hammerspace in his body and he won't feel any pain for as long as he had enough ink in him.

“O-Kay, well you make sure to give that back to Mrs. Allison in the mornin' yea hear?”

Benny nodded his head vigorously

“As fer me, I best be goin'. So you need to head off to bed and I'll be seein' ya in the mornin'” Norman gently ushered Benny towards the crate as he picked up the coat and handed it back to the toon. Stopping briefly noting that there was no real bedding within the crate just a scarf and the coat that Benny held in his arms. Norman felt bad, Benny didn't seem to have a lot of possessions but then again he's not quite a day old. He gave himself a quick look over seeing if there was anything he could add to give the toon some more comfort rather then the wood bottom of the crate. He eyed his sweater that he had tied around his waist, he had for years, it was old and was about time he get a new one. He untied the sweater and laid it on the bottom of the crate, the sweater was quite a bit bigger the Allison's coat so he had to fold it several times to make it fit properly.

Satisfied with the new setup within the crate, Norman scooped Benny up and laid him down inside the crate. He chuckled as the toon felt the sweater feeling how soft his new addition to his home was. He looked up at Norman and motioned for him to bend down, obliging the toon, Norman bent down and found Benny's arms wrapped around his neck in a hug. “Thank.. you..” Benny softly spoke, his voice stuttering slightly with how happy he truly was.

Benny couldn't believe how his day had turned out, yeah sure he had a really rough start but these past few hours felt like frosting on the cake. He meet a wonderful woman who helped patch him up and now he met a friend of hers who was willing to help him as well. He felt like the luckiest toon in the world to have just met these two people and to have them so understanding of him when he was so insecure and scared of this world he had been brought into. For the moment he couldn't have asked for more.

Norman just smiled and rubbed the toon's back gently “you're welcome lil' guy”

Benny eventually broke the embrace and turned to lay down in the crate using Allison's coat as a blanket rather then a makeshift sleeping bag. Norman chuckled as he watched the toon slowly drift off to sleep, little cartoony Z's emanated from him as they dissipated into thin air. He reached up and slid his cap off, and gently covered a portion of Benny's exposed head. 

Norman checked the shelving again to find that the area where the crate had been was still covered in ink, reaching for his now ink stained rag, he wiped the area as clean as he could get it. Pleased with his work he turned to grab the handles of the crate and slowly slid it back into its place on the shelf, checking the area around it again to make sure it was free of any ink stains. He slowly stood back up still loathing the way his body would creak and pop from being on the floor too long, he fixed up the papers that Susie had scattered and finished cleaning the shelf. With the room restored back to it original setup before hurricane Susie swept through, Norman flicked off the light, closed the door and headed down the hall.

'Tomorrow is another day'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Susie is a total bitch, stooping so low to rifle through other peoples belongings. It was a good thing Norman was there to help out. That being said, one can only pity Tom, he has a horribly short deadline and a lot must be done for the machine to be complete. Joey has kicked the dog when he is down, and his belief that the toons are an "illusion of living" only further adds salt to the wound.


	3. Hidden Talents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a time of learning. Little Benny is showing off that he is more then just a plushtoon done in the image of Bendy, he has a few talents that make him unique and his 'mother' is more then willing to help those talents come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew boy, to date this is the longest chapter i've written. Nevertheless I hope you all had a Happy New year.
> 
> Now on with the show~

The sun shone brightly though a small kitchen as Allison has stirred herself out of bed and wandered into the room to prepare her breakfast. Much to her annoyance she had found that Thomas had already gotten up and left for work before her, but at the same time she was thankful for he wouldn't be questioning why she was going to be packing extra food in her bag. Allison wandered throughout the kitchen pondering over the various food items, wondering what to make for lunch, not only for herself but for her tooney companion. First things first, she needed to eat breakfast before she ate someone.

Allison grabbed 2 slices of bacon and threw it on a saucepan while she whipped up some batter and poured it into another pan with some blueberries mixed in. Once the bacon was ready she took the bacon off and cracked 2 eggs over the pan full of the bacon grease while she flipped the pancakes in the adjacent pan and took them off the flame. She made plenty of extra pancakes just to see if Benny would like them or if he would be able to eat them at all, she knew nothing of how the toon's body worked except the fact that he drinks ink. If he couldn't eat them it wouldn't be a problem cause the band always enjoyed any extra food she would have from time to time. With the eggs cooked, she prepared herself a plate and sat down enjoying the warm food. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she truly wished Tom was with her. She liked cooking breakfast in the morning and watching Tom stumble about the kitchen searching for the pot of coffee like it's his life line. The poor man was a utter zombie without the dark brew and getting a full comprehensive sentence out of him before coffee was like searching for the holy grail.

Finishing up breakfast, Allison washed the dishes and got herself dressed for the work day, stopping briefly to look at her purse. The purse was beyond salvation with the amount of ink that had long since dried on the side of the bag, she would have no choice but to get a new one. Allison wandered to the broom closet and fished out Tom's shoulder pack, a bit big for her liking, but for now it will have to do. She set the pack on the kitchen table as she transferred her personal effects from her purse to the pack, making sure to set aside enough room to carry the sizable lunch.

Allison went back to the broom closet and fished around looking for a smaller bag for the lunches and found a small wicker basket that was used for little picnics. Deciding to pack a lunch for 3 assuming that Tom didn't grab something before leaving. She whipped up 3 peanut butter sandwiches and grabbed 3 apples, a tin of cookies and 3 bottles of soda pop, and all the food in a small table cloth so it wouldn't potentially stain the basket, topped it off with a handkerchief and carefully laid it inside the shoulder pack. She groaned slightly as she tested the weight of the pack realizing it was a bit heavy for her liking but thankful she didn't have to carry it all day. Grabbing a coat, scarf, and car keys, she grabbed the bag setting it in the backseat of the car and headed for work.

Pulling into the studio lot she noted that it was unusually busy in the early morning, sure there were always a few early bird artists or staff that would arrive to get a jump start on things, but it was never this busy. Delivery trucks were parked side by side dropping off more supplies and equipment being unloaded by the GENT team, she couldn't make out what was being delivered, but whatever was being brought to the studio was big. Allison wandered to the front door and slipped in under all the controlled chaos of the morning work hours, her one and only goal was to reach her dressing room. She was thankful she showed up to work with at least an hour to spare before she clocked in.

As Allison approached her dressing room she had noted that there was a light coming from under the door and she could hear faint muffled voices, her heart stopped. Who was in the room? Oh god no! Please let them not have found Benny! She broke into a sprint down the hall and flung to door open fearing the worst. To her surprise Norman was in the room sitting on a chair while Benny's crate was slid out of the shelving with the little demon in question wrapped up in her coat talking to him, with something in his hand. Both Norman and Benny stared at Allison wide eyed, surprised by the sudden intrusion.

“Allison!” Benny essentially levitated out of the crate and flung himself into her chest nearly bowling her over, wrapping his arms around her neck burying his face into her shoulder knocking her bag to the floor. Norman burst into laughter at the instant reaction of the toon. Benny making joyous squeaky toy noises while gently nuzzling her. Allison's brain was completely derailed, trying comprehend what just happened as it started to get back on track. She carefully removed Benny from her neck cradling him in one arm and she shot a angry glare at Norman shutting the man up. She even turned her body away from Norman shielding the toon from the man's vision, sparking concern and confusion from the demon in her arm.

“Norman, what are you doing in here?” She sternly asked him, leaving no room for error in his answer.

The man straitened up holding out his hands in a placating manner to hopefully show the furious woman he meant no harm. “Sorry 'bout that Mrs. Allison, I was jus' checkin' up on your lil friend to see if he was doin' ok”.

“It's true,.. Norman was just checking on me.. to make sure I was ok.” Benny chimed in from her arms. Allison sparred a glance at the toon as he looked at her with apologetic eyes. Her stance towards Norman still tense and defensive, but willing to listen.

“See, las' night Ms. Campbell came in 'ere snoopin' around. I fended 'er off and accidentally found your lil friend' 'ere.” Norman gestured to Benny and he wiggled out of her arms to the floor and hopped up on a chair next to Norman facing her. “I came early t' try and bring the lil guy a snack.”

Allison let out a long sigh rubbing her temples as she listened to the testimony from both Norman and Benny. She noted a small box of cookies open on the table and now that she could see Benny in his entire, he had a half eaten cookie in hand. That answered her earlier question about whether or not he could eat normal food. She looked at Benny who had a guilty look on his face as she walked over to him, gently patting him between his horns. “Are...you mad?” He quietly asked her while wringing his gloved hands together.

“No sweetie, just surprised. I wasn't expecting to find you awake already, let alone having another person in my room.” She smiled at him reassuring that she wasn't mad at him. “Norman I'm sorry for getting upset, and thank you for scaring off Susie. I'd hate to think what she would have done if she found Benny.” Allison turned and patted Norman on the shoulder in thanks.

He grinned back. “It's nothin' Mrs Allison. I'm jus' thankful I got 'ere when I did.”

The brief silence of the room was broken when the sound of a growling stomach roared out, Allison and Norman's head snapped at Benny while he started trying to hide his face in embarrassment, both man and woman burst into laughter. “We should get you something to eat.” Allison wheezed as she tried to get her laughter in check, Norman long since gave up and had his faced buried in his cap.

Allison bent down and picked her bag up off the floor and walked over to her desk, setting the pack down and pulling out the wicker basket. Benny swiftly at her side looking at the basket eagerly hoping that he was going to get something to eat. Allison had to stifle a chuckle looking at the toons sparkling eyes as she started to open up the basket, pulling out the handkerchief and opening up the cloth within. Benny bouncing slightly on his toes in excitement. Allison pulled out a container of pancakes handing them to Benny, he turned the container in his hand trying to figure out what it was.

“What are these?” Benny lifted the container over his head trying to look at the contents from the clear bottom.

“Those are called pancakes. You eat them for Breakfast.” Allison briefly took the container from Benny and motioned for him to sit back down while she opened the container for him, taking out a mini cake and handing it to him. “Or you can eat them for Dinner!” Norman chimed in next to the little devil. They both watched Benny look up at them and then down to the cake, turning it around studying it a bit before taking a bite.

The toons eyes lit up when he bit down onto the pancake. “This is.. so good!” Benny hummed as he bounced slightly on the chair. Allison smiled at him and handed him the container so he could eat the rest. “Now, all of these are for you. I'm gonna talk to Norman a bit. OK?”

“OK” Benny nodded before he swiftly resumed his consumption of the pancakes, humming all the while. It was quite clear he was more then satisfied with the pancakes.

Allison motioned for Norman to follow her as she stepped off to the corner of the room with the man right behind her. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall giving Norman her undivided attention, mentally trying to prepare herself for what she was about to hear. “So what exactly happened last night?” she quietly asked, briefly looking at the excited toon at the table before looking back at Norman.

“As I said earlier, Ms. Campbell came in 'ere snoopin' 'round. I dunno what she was lookin' fer, but when I asked 'er why she was in 'ere she claimed that she was ' returnin' a book she borrowed from ya'. T' be honest Ma'am I ain't never seen no 'returnin' a book' that results in gettin' a room completely trashed, that little lady came through 'ere like a hurricane. After she got caught and left, I started cleanin' up the mess she left and accidentally found Benny when I was cleanin' round the lower shelf. T' be honest, the lil' devil spooked me good, but he's a good boy. After I got 'im to calm down, we talked fer a bit then I put 'im back t' bed and called it a night.” Norman sighed as he finished his story. It was a lot to take in even for him, and he sees a lot that goes on in the studio.

“Well for the record, I never let Susie borrow any books and besides all the books here are only about voice acting, singing, and music. She should already knows those things since she is more experienced then I am. Also I'd like to thank you again for watching over Benny. He is a lot to take in, I mean, a living breathing cartoon, no one would believe me.” Allison glanced over at Benny who was nearly done with the stack of pancakes. “He's a innocent toon, who was dealt a really hard hand from the start.”

“Oh I know about dat.” Norman scowled as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot slightly in annoyance.

“hmm?” Allison looked back at Norman lifting a eyebrow.

“See when I was talkin' t' 'im he told me quite a few interestin' things. Fer starters remember yesterday when Joey had his knickers in a knot, stormin 'round the studio?”

“yeah.”

“Well I heard yesterday dat the ink machine was operational, but not fer long, an' I'm willin' t' bet Benny was mos' likely the result. Now the worker I spoke t', told me they ain't allowed t' disscuss nothin' pertainin' t' the machine, but she did tell me that a worker did get hurt from the machine. I dunno who, cause the GENT team was sworn to not talk 'bout nothin'.”

“That may have been Tom” Allison quietly added looking down at the ground “He came home with a bruise on the side of him face last night. I asked him about it and he told me that he got hit in the face when he tried to restrain a broken pipe that flailed around.” She didn't like that her husband was potentially lying to her, but she knew she was no better, lying to him as well about how her bag got ruined by a 'pipe burst'.

“Sound's like too much a coincidence if ya as me.” Norman's scowl deepening. “But, I do know who attacked Benny.”

Allison's head snapped up at Norman “Who?” anger laced within her words.

“Joey Drew.”

'J-Joey Drew.” Allison whispered the name, as if saying it out loud would summon him. She inwardly wished it was someone else other then the tyrant so she could take out her frustrations on them. The one man in the studio whom everyone feared, he was someone you don't mess with. Rumor had it that things would happen to those that crossed him. He ruled the studio with an iron fist, behind a golden smile and silver words. This revelation wasn't too surprising given Joey's track record.

“Yeah, lil' guy told me that, he remembered the eye color of the 'man who attacked 'im' and it was Grey. The only man with Grey eyes dat would have been with the machine would've been Joey. Now what I don' get is why' would Joey attack Benny? He is a sweet lil toon who ain't done no wrong and yet they tried to scratch 'im. I mean, he got a living toon which is what I assume he's after with dat whole weird Ink machine contraption. What more does this guy want? ” Norman's scowl grew as he thought more and more about how heartless their boss truly was, going so far to hurt an innocent sweet character.

“Benny told me that he was called 'Off-model' and that he was 'only practice'-” before Allison could finish, Norman snapped.

“Dat's it! His ass is mine, time for an ol' fashion country ass whoopin'!” Norman shouted as he turned on his heel heading for the door cracking his knuckles.

He was outraged, how dare someone call Benny 'only practice', who does joey think he is trying to play 'god' and try and kill something that hasn't done anything wrong? Yeah sure Benny did resemble Bendy their star character and that presumably the ultimate goal was to make Bendy, but that was no excuse for trying to kill something cause it didn't meet a set standard. Norman's sudden outburst startled the little demon who had just finished his meal, Benny looking up at Norman in surprise and concern, jumping off his chair cautiously approaching riled up man.

“NO nononono ,Norman!” Allison grabbed onto the mans coat to stop him “Joey doesn't know Benny is still alive. Instead of kicking his butt, even though I'd love to join you in that pleasure, we need to figure out how to get Benny out of here and away from him.” Allison pleaded with him. “We need to protect him, please.”

Norman paused at the small 'please' he heard from her, he was about to resume his war path when a pair of small hands grabbed onto his pant leg and a little concerned voice whimpered. “Norman.. are you going to hurt someone?” Norman looked down to see Benny looking up at him. “Please don't hurt anyone.” the toon quietly begged as he tightened his grip on Norman's pant leg. Benny didn't want to see anyone get hurt, especially over him.

All of the mans fight drained out of him slumping his shoulders, he bent down and patted Benny between the horns. “I ain't gonna hurt anyone son, just gonna have a 'adult conversation' with 'em.” he smiled at the toon reassuringly.

“Yeah a 'adult conversation' that results in you saying that they 'tripped over some furniture' or 'fell down some stairs'. A fight is the last thing we need Norman.” Allison looked at him unamused, Norman nervously chuckled straitening back up. “We don't need any form of confrontation with him, that will expose the fact that we are hiding something that Joey is after, and that will put us all in danger.”

“Umm...Allison?” Allison looked down to see Benny looking up at her sheepishly. “I hate to interrupt, but are there any more pancakes?”

Allison eyes went wide briefly as she thought 'how much can he eat?'. “umm lets see...” she wandered to the table to rummage through the wicker basket. She knew she packed 4 pancakes which are now gone, plus he had however many cookies that Norman brought. She found the mini basket of strawberries and handed them over to Benny, his eyes once again lit up at the presence of food.

“Thank you.” he happily popped a strawberry in his mouth before he hopped back up onto the chair to continue munching on the strawberries.

Allison looked at Benny, he seemed far more energetic and his words weren't as slow as they were when they first met, his speech is getting faster and he's more sure of himself. Though at the moment he seemed to have a bottomless pit of a stomach and feared exactly how much a toon so small could eat, in not only a sitting, but the entire day.

“Norman, what else did you do last night?” Allison glanced at the man as he tried to swipe a strawberry from Benny which resulted in a small pouting face from the toon, but reluctantly handed one over.

“Well other then chasin' off susie the only thin' I did was get the lil' guy some ink” Norman snapped his fingered in realization “OH! and he has your sewing kit in 'im.”

“In him?” Allison had unamused look on her face.

“Norman.. brought me some ink last night.. then asked me to hang onto your sewing kit” Benny popped the last strawberry in his mouth as he joined in on the conversation. Allison watched wide eyed as Benny slid his fingers between the folds of the stitches on his stomach and pulled out a small black box that she recognized as her sewing kit she had left with him. “here.”

Allison had no words to describe what she just saw, Norman recognizing the look on her face patted her shoulder and told her 'it's a toon thing'. She reached out taking the box from Benny and opened it up inspecting the contents. Sure enough it was her sewing kit. The scissors still had bits of his ink on them from when she was repairing him. She closed up the box and handed it back to Benny who tilted his head in confusion.

“Why don't you hang onto it, just in case.” Allison smiled at him.

“OK.” Benny took the kit from her and slid it back into himself.

“How are you able to do that? I know Norman said it was a 'toon thing' but this is the real word, not a cartoon world. Plus doesn't that hurt opening up that wound?” Allison asked. She was worried about how Benny was able to hide things within himself, let alone why he would open up such a drastic injury and not flinch or cry out in pain from doing so. She had remembered the squeamish procedure she went through him the night before and how much pain he was in at the time.

Benny looked at Norman briefly before wringing his gloved hands together as he quietly spoke “Last night.. when Norman brought me extra ink.. that allowed me to heal properly.. See half of me is a toon yes.. but the other half is a plush toy.. When you stitched me.. you only repaired the plush portion of my body.. but I lacked enough ink to heal completely.. Norman provided the rest of what I needed.. The cut on my stomach is like a pocket now cause I'm half plush.. and since I'm half toon it's now a hammerspace pocket.. It doesn't hurt to reach in cause I have enough ink to support it now..” He looked up at Allison “Did I do something bad?” Worry written all over his face.

“No, no sweetie.” as Allison knelt down to pet his head gently “Its a good thing, that means you are feeling much better. I'm glad. I was just worried that you were causing yourself pain for my sake.” She pulled the toon into a gentle hug. Benny released the breath he'd been holding and hugged her back letting out a happy noise.

“Umm guys... I hate ta break up the warm fuzzes but we got ta clock in soon.” Norman piped up, he gestured to his wrist watch tapping it's face to emphasize his point. Something he instantly regretted as Allison shot him a small glare while she held the little demon in her arms. She didn't appreciate him ruining the moment.

Letting out a heavy sigh Allison looked at Benny “Sorry Benny but you're gonna have to go back in the crate until I get my lunch break.”

“Awwww, can't I come?” Benny looked up at her with large puppy dog eye,s nearly sparkling “please?”

“Sorry Benny but I don't want anyone to see you, cause they may try and take you away from me and kill you.” Allison tried to peel the little devil off her arm and to try and scoot him back to the crate. She soon found that when the little demon wanted, he had a cast iron grip.

“Hey, Mrs. Allison I got an idea.” Norman grinned as he look at her.

Allison turned to face him “What is it?” tapping her foot slightly. Benny wasn't making this easier for her, and she was still trying to pry him off her arm.

“Well Benny 'ere's got that Hammerspace. Why don' he hang on t' yer stuff so he can hide in yer bag. He can be like yer personal purse while he's in the real one. That way he can go wit' ya so yer not worryin' 'bout people findin' 'im, cause he'll be with ya. Yer bag is big enough, plus there ain't no thieves 'ere.”

Upon hearing Normans words Benny immediately grinned at Allison tightening his grip on her. “Please, please, please. I can hang onto your stuff.. I don't mind..” Benny bounced in place hanging onto her arm. His bouncing slowed as he quietly uttered “ I don't want to be alone.”

If Allison had any reservations about bringing Benny along they were hit by a truck, those 6 words made her heart feel like it was being crushed. She already knew how the toon felt the previous night when he cried desperately in her arms. The stress of escape and fear of discovery left a mark on him, and his greatest fear now was being alone.

Allison let out a deep sigh, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision. “All right as long as it's ok with you, but you have to be quiet so no one sees you.”

“Yay!” Benny hugged her and ran to the table climbing up on top to reach her bag. He carefully reached into her bag and started pulling out various items, lipstick, pads, a small makeup bag, cough drops, and the lunch wicker basket and placed them all on the table. He studied each item one by one seemingly gauging it's dimensions and feel before he slid them inside his hammerspace. Right as Benny grabbed the wicker basket Allison grabbed his arm making his freeze up, he looked up at her tilting his head slightly. “what's wrong?”

“Umm Benny the food in the basket, will be ok if it's inside you? I mean, it won't get ruined right?” Allison gave him a worried look.

She was concerned that all the food in the basket would be for naught if Benny carried it for her. That somehow his internal hammerspace would ruin the food, let alone the insertion and removal of the items will coat it in ink. She had no clue how hammerspace worked, she saw it in action on the big screen but that was a cartoon, it wasn't real. This was very much real and could have potential unseen consequences.

Benny smiled up at her reassuringly “No it will be fine.. nothing is gonna ruin the food.”

Allison studied his face seeing the confidence in his eyes and let his arm go. Benny looked at her to be sure he got the go-ahead before he mentally measured the basket. It would be a bit of a stretch cause of it's size, but it was do-able. Benny pulled on the stitches as far as they could go making his stomach look like a gaping maw splitting his body nearly in half. He gently pushed the basket scrunching his face slightly as it grazed the folds of his stomach, it didn't hurt but, it felt strange as it passed through. The basket now absorbed in the hammerspace, Benny let his fingers slip the folds closing his stomach the stitches all pulling themselves taut once again. He breathed a small sigh of relief that everything worked out.

Allison could only watch the toon work in silent admiration, his stomach fully opened really did look like a mouth. She could only smile as he was so careful in making sure her stuff would be safe, he was going through such great lengths to be able to go with her. With the little demon finishing up with the last of her bags contents he smiled up at her completely pleased with himself and seeking approval. Allison nodded giving the go-ahead before he slipped into the bag and closed it up behind himself, small giggling could be heard from the excited toon as a hint of a pie cut eye could be seen through a gap between the flap of the bag.

Allison gently lifted the bag realizing how light it was in comparison to how it was prior to Benny relieving her of her possessions. It really was a toon thing, she could only feel his weight and he didn't weigh very much. With a slight nod to Norman both of them strode out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind them and made their way to the time clock to punch in for the day.

The duo passed a lot of staff going to and fro within the studio, most of them members of the GENT staff all working on various pipes or carrying loads of crates or boxes, carefully stepping around the busy staff and avoiding spilt ink and cursing GENT members. Norman and Allison reached the time clock and a sizable crowd had gathered, mostly animators and some of the band members all clocking in one by one. The violinist spotted Allison and Norman and waved them over to join him in the line so the three could clock in at the same time.

“Looking forward to another round of dealing with our resident drama queen?” The violinist joked at Allison covering his mouth trying to contain his snickering.

“Oh. I'm more then prepared for today's recording, but I'm not worried about myself.” Allison smiled as she carefully stepped away from the violinist approaching the time clock, clocking in.

She turned and waved slightly walking backwards carefully. It was clear she was putting a bit of distance between herself and the young man. The violinist tilted his head slightly pondering over Allison's strange behavior, not picking up on Norman also stepping away from the man like he was gonna get stuck by lightning. Both seemingly aware of something he was not.

“Oh this 'resident drama queen' is looking forward to working with you today, Mr. Leonard Burn.” A smooth irritated voice spoke behind the now stand alone violinist.

The man slowly turned around, dread all over his face as he now faced a looming Sammy Lawrence. The music department director raised a single brow as he glared down at the Leonard. The man grinned ear to ear nervously while he clocked in and slowly crept past Sammy all the while under the mans frigid gaze. Once out of Sammy's presumed grabbing range, Leonard sped down the halls towards the stairs leading to the music department. Norman taking that as an opportunity tipped his cap to Allison and a small smile towards her bag as he turned on his heel and strode away wanting to avoid Sammy. The other few musicians also hurried to clock in, now that they had inspiration. They all followed after the escaped violinist all fearing the wrath of Sammy, leaving only the director in question and Allison.

Sammy let out a small sigh and turned his head to look at Allison “Good Morning Mrs. Connor.” his annoyed features softening as he relaxed.

“Morning to you as well sir.” Allison beamed up at the blond man. She enjoyed Sammy's company, even if he was a bit dramatic with things.

“I have your sheet music at the recording booth all ready to go, Mr. Fain finished up all the new lyrics for you. We will have an hour practice session so you can get familiar with the lines along with the music. Afterwards we will be just recording the base soundtrack for the shorts so you can retire to practice more, but by this evening after the lunch break we will be recording live, so I hope that is enough time to have the song down pat by then.” Sammy gestured for her to follow him, Allison nodded and followed the musician to the stairs ready to start the day.

The two entered the department to see the band already in place practicing the sheet music from the night before along with new sheet music that Jack Fain had just finished passing out. The older gentleman smiled at Allison as she walked up to the man.

“Good morning Angel.” Jack gently tipped his bowler hat to her while she slightly bowed her head.

“Good morning to you as well Mr. Fain” Allison mustered up a big smile for the man.

She always did like Jack Fain for her few interactions she had with him. He was a bit of a recluse but had a magical way with words. He and Sammy were two peas in a pod. Sammy excelled with writing beautiful music for the show, especially the dance pieces for Bendy's solo performances while Jack excelled in providing the words needed. The two of them combined brought the soundtrack to the visuals that the animation department provided. Allison often heard the children in her neighborhood humming the music from the show or singing the songs to the best of their ability. For as much life as the Animation crew poured into bringing Bendy and friends to life, the music that they were given were their voices to set their tones to their personalities. It made her smile at how much work and dedication went into bringing the devil darling and his friends to life.

“Now here's the music for today Mrs. Allison” The older mans shaky hands held out a small stack of sheet music to her. Allison met him half way so the man wouldn't strain his back trying to hand her the music. His countless hours spent stooped over a desk writing music had not been kind to him as he had a small permanent stoop to his back. He was more dedicated then most and it showed.

“Thank you.” she took the sheet music from him, glancing over the words.

“With that, I take my leave.” He tipped his hat again and with his arms behind his back he slowly strode out of the band room, humming all the while. It seemed that he may have thought up of another song already.

Allison reviewed her music while she wandered past the band whom was already tuning and preparing for practice. She went to her usual perch in the corner of the room near a mic. She set her bag down on a adjacent stool carefully as to not disturb Benny too much, though she could tell the plushtoon was excited by how the bag wiggled slightly. She could just see a small hint of his pie cut eye peering out a gap in the flap along with his huge grin. She chuckled at the toon before she pulled her stool over to the mic and sat down humming the notes on the page. She snapped her fingers to the imaginary beat in her mind, she sang out the song slowly and carefully to get a feel for the song as best she could before the practice session began. Everyone's tuning and mini practice session slowed to a halt as Sammy approached the podium and tapped his baton to capture everyone's attention.

“Alright everyone, we will begin shortly. Remember, while this is a practice session please treat it like the real deal.” Sammy's eyes lingered on the earlier offending Leonard, whom was clearly still on his shit list. The violinist slunk in his chair trying to avoid Sammy's boring eyes.

He tapped his baton again and raised both arms. The band taking the cue, all prepared themselves while Allison sat up strait on her stool, also at the ready. With all eyes on him and instruments at the ready, Sammy threw his hands downwards cuing the band to roar out the first few notes of the new piece. They all played out loud and true, it didn't even sound like it was 'practice'. Allison waited patiently for her cue to come, and when it did, she sang out pouring her being into her music. She was a professional and prided herself on her ability to sing a song with relative accuracy at the start.

They all played the various new pieces for the new shorts with Allison's accompaniment or solo performances. Sammy smiling all the while as he listened to the band and singer all sounding out in unison. Despite the antics of the band he couldn't have asked for a better team, even Allison was a lovely new addition to his cast. Susie would complain near endlessly she had little to no time to learn the piece. She was a good singer yes, but wasn't nearly as much of a quick learner as Allison. Both women were on par musically but one was faster at learning and wasn't a chronic complainer.

The practice session wrapped up and everyone made small adjustments to the music as needed per Sammy's instruction. Allison excused herself from the band room so the band could focus on recording the new soundtrack. She decided to head up to the projection booth that sat above the band room and was quietly thankful it was sound proof. She carefully scooped up the slightly wiggling bag and the folder containing her new music and strode up the stairs to the booth. Norman was steadily working on his projectors watching the film carefully as it was being fed through the machine and being projected onto the band wall outside. Allison quietly closed the door which prompted Norman to briefly face her, he smiled and resumed his supervision of the projector while Allison pulled out a spare chair and sat down. She set her bag on her lap and opened it up revealing a huge grin and sparkling pie cut eyes.

“I didn't know you could sing so well!” Benny beamed up at her from the bag.

“Heh heh, yeah. I'm what you call a voice actress and singer.” Allison chuckled at the toons excitement and flattery.

“Mr. Allison is da voice of Alice Angel. She's actually on the screen right now.” Norman spoke up from behind the projector.

Benny tilted his head slightly wondering who 'Alice Angel' was, his confusion turned to surprise when Allison lifted him out of the bag setting him in her lap while she set the bag to the floor. He was under the impression he had to stay in the bag at all times.

“She is Alice Angel.” Allison carefully lifted Benny just high enough to peer out of the window to look at the screen, but not high enough to be seen by the band playing below.

On the screen was a female humanoid toon, she wore a black dress with a white bow on her chest and sported white gloves with a circle on each hand. She had black shoulder length hair with what looked like white horns atop her head with a halo floating above. Her animation on the screen had her singing ,but there was no voice from her. The only sound that could be heard was the music from the band that was fed to the room via a speaker. Benny looked at the angel on the screen with awe and a twinge of confusion at seeing another toon.

“How come she has no voice?” He turned his head to look at Allison. “I hear her music but she is only mouthing the words..she isn't saying anything... Is she ok?.. Is she sick?” he asked her. He didn't seem to be aware that it was a cartoon and not real.

Norman laughed in the corner at Benny's inquiry while Allison held her own breath trying not to laugh. Her body betrayed her as she laughed at the question posed to her. Benny completely confused as to what was so funny.

“No, no sweetie this is what you call an animation. What you see on the screen isn't real. It's a massive collection of drawings with small adjustments that when strung together on a tape called film they look like they are moving. She won't have a voice until I provide one for her. That's what my job is, I give her my voice.” Allison gestured to the screen with Benny following her motion looking at Alice on the screen singing away some imaginary song.

Benny scrunched his face at the images before him “I like my angel better, she's real.” he quietly mumbled as he leaned back pressing his head into Allison's chest.

It was clear he didn't seem to approve of the angel before him, even though she is a toon like him. Allison couldn't say anything at the pouting demon on her lap, his comment took her by surprise. His pouting quickly disappeared into curiosity as he wiggled off her lap and hoisted himself onto the window sill peering out of it. His eyes fixated on the screen before him. Wondering what got the toon so focused suddenly, Allison traced her eyes up to look at the screen seeing a familiar sight, Bendy the dancing demon. The demon in question was doing a small tap dance while Alice sang, then both proceeded to dance together.

“Is he Bendy?” Benny pointed up at the screen.

“Yep, he's da face o' this studio.” Norman sat back in his chair, watching the duet of the two toons on the screen. “He's what put this place on da map.”

“I really do look like him.” Benny uttered quietly. He stared at his 2D counterpart as he danced on the screen.

The resemblance between himself and Bendy really was uncanny. He had sepia coloring while Bendy was monochrome, plus he now sported stitches on his stomach and face unlike Bendy who was whole. He hopped off the window sill onto the floor and looked down at his own two feet. He remembered the dance that Bendy had done and wondered if he could do the same. He tried a few small steps slowly eventually picking up the pace and soon found himself face first on the floor with little stars circling his head. “Ow.”

Allison smiled getting up from her seat. She realized that her own little demon was trying to see if he could dance as well as his counterpart. She extended a hand which he shakily took, helping him to his feet. She hummed the tune from the short and gently swayed from side to side, moving her feet slowly so he could copy her. Benny traced her steps slowly moving to the beat Allison was creating, he was careful to watch where his feet were in proximity to hers. As he gained more confidence in his little dance he looked up at her with a genuine grin, overflowing with delight. Seeing the joy on the toons face made her actually start singing the piece out loud, picking up the pace to match the words better. Norman tapped his foot and snapped his fingers to provide the beat to Allison's song as she continued to sing louder, her voice echoing throughout the small space.

After a time, a small second voice joined in, it was small and boyish, but it was nevertheless there. Allison looked around for the source of the second voice fearing that someone was watching the spectacle of her and Benny dancing. She glanced at Norman whom had his mouth shut so he wasn't singing, the man too preoccupied with tapping his foot and snapping his fingers while watching the film in the projector. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the door was still closed, so no one was watching them. She spared a glance down at the little demon who was dancing with her and to her surprise, he was the one singing. Benny had his eyes closed as he sang louder, his voice growing stronger and true. He was now focused more on singing versus dancing as his pace slowed while his voice maintained a steady volume.

Norman and Allison were both shocked at the singing talent of their little demonic companion. He didn't seem to dance very well but he could carry a tune exceedingly well. With each word and note the toons confidence seemed to grow, and at some point completely forgetting he was supposed to be dancing. His body stilled as he now was singing with all his heart, matching Allison's voice perfectly. Allison picked up the pace of her own song, singing louder for which Benny happily replied with more effort on his part. Dancing long since forgotten. Norman watched in amazement as the studios angel and her little devil were pulling off a beautiful duet. Once the song reached it's end, Norman and Allison both clapped and cheered at Benny's performance. The plushtoon realizing what he had done blushed profusely trying to hide his face in his hands in embarrassment.

“You are a very good singer Benny!” Allison scooped him up, hugging the embarrassed toon tightly to her chest.

“Yeah! You a down right better singer then Ms. Campbell!” Norman cheered from the corner.

“aww shucks... but I only repeated what I heard.” Benny still trying to cover his face while Allison was now trying to pry his hands away from his face.

Finally successful at prying away the toons hands Allison pressed her cheek against his, burying him in a complete bear hug. “Singing is a form of expression. You expressed how truly happy you were, we could all feel it in your song. I'm happy for you.” she gently nuzzled him.

Benny looked over at Norman whom was beaming at the toon, he liked what he had heard from Benny. He couldn't have been happier then that moment, seeing the little demon slowly coming out of his shell. All that the plushtoon had gone through had left him somewhat withdrawn and hesitant, but with music he comes out showing who he really is. The little devil looked back at Allison and hugged her back making a small happy noise.

“I'd like it if you could be my singing partner Benny.” Allison slowly broke the hug to look at the little devil in her arms.

Allison's eyes were honest and her grin was wide. She wanted Benny to sing with her as a way of him getting better at speech as well as expressing himself. He was so scared and withdrawn when she first met him, like he was horrified that anything he would do would result in painful punishment. He is a toon, a character who is meant to be happy and make people laugh, he shouldn't be scared to express himself. What better way to express oneself then to sing and dance? He wasn't much of a dancer, but his voice was something to behold, a bit shaky at first, but with confidence he has a lot of potential. He needs to restore his confidence and express who he is, but first he must learn how, and she was more then willing to put in the effort to teach him.

“If you'll have me...I'll gladly join you.” Benny sheepishly wrung his gloved hands.

His answer was instant, she hugged him as tight as she could without crushing him. “I'll be more then happy to have you join me.” Allison spun around on her heel as she hugged him.

Allison pulled out more sheet music and sang a few of the songs so Benny could commit them to memory. Once he was sure he had the song memorized, both angel and devil sang together while Norman kept the beat for them. Norman lightly watched the band below in their own musical performance. The entire department was full of joyous music, each instrument and voice sounding strong and true to the person's feelings. Norman and Sammy both, one from a projector and one at the podium, watched and listened to their own respective performances. The department was overflowing with musical bliss, that for the moment, made everything going on outside the department feel like a different world.

After some time the band wrapped up the recording session just in time for the lunch break. Sammy motioned up to the projection booth at Norman signaling it was lunch time and for everyone to take leave. Norman waved back and turned to Allison and Benny both singing a duet piece.

“'Ey you two. It's lunch time” Norman laughed.

Both Allison and Benny were a chorus of 'Awwwwwws' and didn't sound enthusiastic about having to stop singing, both captivated at their vocal compatibility with one another.

“C'mon, lets grab some grub.” Norman turned off the projector carefully removing the film reels putting them away.

While he was busy putting the projector to rest, Allison pick up her bag and scooped Benny up helping him back into her shoulder pack. She waited patiently for Norman to finish inspecting the reels and cleaning the lenses to get them ready for the next round, all the while Benny's head was out of the bag watching the man work. He occasionally asked Norman what he was doing and what each part was. Norman was more then happy to explain what a projector was and how it worked as he was finishing laying it to rest. He finally wrapped up the last inspections and grabbed his hat off the coat rack. Both Norman and Allison crept out of the projection booth to join the band members just as they were all setting their instruments down and were preparing to leave.

Allison excused herself from the group and Norman telling them she was going to go seek out her husband. She strode through the studio seeking out any GENT staffer who might know as to her husbands location, growing slightly frustrated that none of them could be found. Inwardly complaining to herself about how 'when you don't need them they are everywhere, but when you do need them there are none to be found'. Her pace quickened matching her growing frustration, right as she turned a corner she collided into someone nearly knocking them over sending something clattering to the floor.

“Oh my god, I'm sorry!” Allison staggered, shocked that a person appeared out of nowhere. She froze at seeing who it was that she nearly knocked over. Joey Drew.

The older man grumbled under his breath as he tried to compose himself, turning to look at his assailant. The man held onto the wall looking at Allison briefly in frustration before realizing whom he was looking at and his glare softened. “Oh it's ok my dear. Would you be so kind as to get my cane?” he pointed to the ebony colored cane that had fallen away from him.

Allison wasted no time in retrieving Joey's cane nearly tripping over her own feet in haste. The last thing she wanted was to be in Joey's presence much longer. He had her husband to find and a demon to feed. She held out the came for which Joey eagerly retrieved.

Joey chuckled as he straitened himself up proper “Now now little lady, what was with the hurry? I know we're all busy, but not enough to dash down halls like the little devil himself was giving chase.” he dryly joked, lifting his brow a small semi-amused smile on his face all the while his Grey eyes boring holes into her.

“Oh umm... I was looking for my husband sir.” Allison softly spoke, just a bit above a whisper.

Joey gave his classic golden smile “Oh, he's by the ink machine room. The GENT team will be taking a lunch break soon, and he has to report his progress before he takes lunch. You can wait for him in my office if you'd like.” he outstretched his arm before himself inviting her to join him.

“uh...ok...thank you.” Allison tensed as she walked along side Joey. She felt like that one kid that did something wrong was being marched to the principles office, or worse yet, a person being marched to the guillotine.

The trip to the office was mostly filled with Joey asking her how recording was going, how she was liking the studio, and that if she has any questions or concerns she was free to see him anytime. Allison tightened the grip she had on her shoulder pack for fear that somehow Joey will see it's contents, as well as to to try and calm Benny down. She could feel small tremors from the bag as Benny was absolutely terrified by being near the man that tried to kill him. His behavior only confirmed what Norman had told her about what he had heard from the toon about his attacker. Joey unlocked his office door and showed her inside, leading her to one of the couches while he walked over to his desk. While Joey was on the other side of the room Allison pressed her bag to her side as close as she could possibly get it while gently rubbing the side. The trembling died down significantly as Benny seemed to be calming down within the bag, pressing into her side as close as he could get.

The older man came back with a small saucer and cup in hand “Tea?”

“Oh, thanks.” Allison gingerly took the saucer from his hand.

“cream or sugar?” he motioned to the table where two small containers sat. One little silver pitcher full of cream and a small bowl filled with sugar cubes and a pair of thongs.

“Thank you.” Allison poured a small amount of cream into her cup and grabbed a sugar cube before sipping on her tea. Since Joey wasn't outwardly being a threat, she allowed her muscles to relax very slightly, but still had her bag pressed tightly against her side like a life line to her sanity. Questioning herself why she allowed herself to follow a man who tried to kill her newfound friend.

A knock was heard at the door gaining both Joey and Allison's attention.

“You may enter.” Joey called out from his desk.

The door slowly opened up and a tired figure slunk within the room. The gruff man looked worse for wear and exhausted, ink coating his arms and legs. It took Allison only a brief second to realize that this ragged out remains of a person was her husband Tom.

“Thomas?” Allison shot from the couch.

Toms attention bee lined it towards his wife's voice, shocked that she was in the office. Confusion and horror written all over his face.

“Tom. So glad you could join us” Joey nonchalantly spoke from his desk, his arm resting on the arm rests of his chair as he was sipping his own cup of tea. Tom could only glare holes into the mans existence, balling his hands into fists. He had no clue why his wife was there and he was certainly not in the mood to entertain any wandering ideas, already fully aware of his bosses little warning. His thoughts were broken by Joey's voice “How long do you plan on standing there? Come now, and join us for lunch. Talk of work can wait.” Joey gestured to the couch where Allison was sitting. The directors voice was very smooth and calm, nearly inviting if it weren't for the small knowing smile on his face.

Tom begrudgingly took the offer and sat down on the couch next to Allison not taking his eyes off Joey, not even for a second. Joey still maintaining the knowing smile and tipped his cup slightly at him. That if Tom tried anything or said anything off the mark, he can kiss his world good-bye.

“Honey?”

Tom's death glare battle broke, turning to face his wife who looked at him with a hint of concern on her face. He hated it when she looked at him like that. He wanted to be there to keep her out of harms way, but she most often kept him out of harms way.

“Hey honey, just a bit tired. Anything for lunch?” he gave a small tired smile, trying to ease her concern.

“One second.” Allison reached to her bag tapping the side of the bag slightly.

She opened up the flap making sure both Tom and Joey couldn't see it's true contents. Benny had already opened up his stomach and had pulled out the handle of the basket. She would have to finish pulling it out of him to make it look like she was actually pulling the basket out of the bag versus the hammerspace of a toon. She pretended to rummage around the bag, in actuality she was petting Benny for being so cooperative before she grabbed the handle and carefully pulled the basket out. She set the basket on the table and closed the pack back up.

Allison opened up the basket and pulled out 2 peanut butter sandwiches, 2 apples, the cookie tin, and 2 bottles of pop. She handed Tom the sandwich for him to start eating while she opened up the pop for him. Lunch for the most part was quiet as everyone was mostly occupied with eating their fill. Joey on the other hand was mostly sitting at his desk sipping on tea and taking an occasional bite out of his bagel while he fingered through paperwork.

The food now gone, the couple enjoyed quite conversation amongst each other, talking about what dinner was gonna be or who had what chore when they got home. Tom doing everything within his power to avoid any and every topic regarding the studio or work for fear of Joey's hearing being better then he thought. Allison would have loved to stayed with her husband a bit longer, but she could feel Benny wiggle slightly against her side. He was brushing his head against her leg and carefully pawing at her through the fabric of the bag trying to not move too much, but letting her know he wanted attention. She pulled out her wrist watch and realized that it had been 5 hours since Benny ate last and the little demon was most likely quite hungry.

“I'm gonna go back to my dressing room for awhile.” Allison looked at her husband with a slightly sadden expression. She didn't want to leave him with Joey, but with Benny getting restless from hunger she couldn't risk exposing him.

“O-okay.” Tom reluctantly handed her the now empty bottle of pop.

Allison gave him a small peck on the cheek before she put away the remainder of the lunch in the basket. She opted out to simply carry the basket separately instead of trying to ask Benny to carry it. Figuring that the little demon would be a bit cranky from hunger, and not able to hide the basket so easily while trying to hide the face he was in the bag. It seemed that he needed to stretch his body some to accommodate the basket on the intake but not for removal, and the needed room was not exactly what the bag would allow at the moment. She stood up and politely excused herself from the room and thanked Joey again for the tea.

Once the door was closed and Allison's foot steps disappeared, the tension picked back up from where it let off within the room. Tom returning to his glaring contest at Joey whom was ignoring him while drinking the remainder of his tea. Joey was completely relaxed and seemingly indifferent to Tom.

“What game are you playing at?” Tom bitterly asked. Joey said he wouldn't touch his wife, but having her in his office during the lunch break period was highly suspicious and concerning.

“Before you make wild assumptions and accusations, I bumped into the little miss while she was looking for you. I figured that since you must report to me your progress with the machine, that she might as well wait for you here.” Joey looked up from his paperwork “I rather enjoyed her company.” A smile creeping over his face.

“So is this your way of keeping tabs on me? Making sure I'm keeping in line?” Tom spat.

“Oh by no sense of the word my good man. It was mere coincidence that we bumped into each other. I have no reason to act on anything as long as everything is finished on time. I'm not a monster.” Joey set his now empty tea cup down folding his hands together on his lap as he rested in his chair.

'You are the very definition of a monster' Tom bitterly thought to himself. Joey went above and beyond the 'call of duty' to secure the success of the ink machine project and seemed to have no qualms about using people as stepping stones to get what he wanted, even if it meant making a few people 'disappear'. The very definition of a monster wearing human skin.

“Now, how is the progress going with the machine?” Joeys words pulling Tom out of his thoughts.

“We pulled a few favors and got more materials to make adjustments. The machine will be slightly bigger then the previous version and will have a higher holding capacity and better output. Overall it will be more efficient and streamlined in comparison to the current model. However...”

“However?” Joey raised a brow.

Tom scrunched his face trying to figure out how to word things without setting Joey off in any way “I fail to understand why 6 pedestals are needed to be installed for the machine to work. The previous one didn't require such a method, let alone the items required to activate each pedestal. With all due respect, I feel it's not a requirement for it to operate. A mere unnecessary step sir.”

“Oh that is just my own personal 'quirk', Mr. Connor. All I need to know is, will the machine be finished on time?” Joey leaned back in his chair now fiddling with a small black book.

“Yes sir”

“Good. Now go rest up for the remainder of lunch, you deserve it.” The director waved his hand towards the door. Tom wasted no time in removing himself from Joey's presence, not wanting to be under the director's radar any longer then necessary.

With Joey now left to his own devices, he fingered through his little book “The illusion of living”. His eyes falling on a key phrase that will be vital to his needs. Since the book will be used to help activate the machine, Joey feverishly studied the book committing it's words to memory. Everything has been laid out, the pieces are falling into place, and he must make sure he himself is prepared for when the time is right. Joey briefly stopped his studies to open his desk drawer pulling out a small clear bottle. He turned the bottle carefully in his hands reading the label: Acetone.

“Just in case” the man muttered to himself sliding the bottle into his chest pocket patting it gently “just in case.”

\----------------------Meanwhile at the dressing room-------------------------

Benny had long since gotten out of the day pack and was eagerly rocking in his seat while eating his peanut butter sandwich, content with the world. Allison had chastised the demon for getting impatient and moving excessively when he shouldn't, but one look from the shimmering pie cut eyes and she let him off with a warning. Norman whom had just joined them chuckled at the 'mama lion' that Allison was turning into. She was such a sweet woman but under that sweetness was a very protective mother figure. Then again he couldn't blame her, Benny quickly grew on her and she was determined to help the plushtoon get out of the studio under Joey's watchful gaze. The trio sat back and enjoyed the peaceful bliss, well for as much as you can get with the sound of ink running through pipes and the occasional drip from a random leak.

“ALLISON!! Check out what we got!” The door suddenly burst open and the violinist Leonard danced on in, followed by a apologetic pianist and the bass player.

Leonard was carrying huge bags of food while the other two men were carrying drinks. The trio looked like they had crashed a party and ran off with the spoils. The three came to a screeching halt when all eyes landed on Benny. The entire room still, as minds were attempting to register what exactly they were seeing. Benny frozen mid-bite in his sandwich, his mismatched pie cut eyes wide with horror.

Before the trio had a chance to say or do anything, Norman lept from the corner pouncing on Leonard pinning the much younger man to a wall causing him to drop his baggage, while Allison ran to the door barring any escapees. The violinist yelped in surprise at Norman's sudden strength and speed. Norman barreling over the violinist had caused the Bass player to stumble nearly knocking the pianist over making the man drop a few of his drinks. Benny jumped off the chair and dove into his crate in the shelf to try and hide, abandoning his lunch and half eaten sandwich.

“Breathe a word of this, and they will never find ya within this studio.” Norman growled through gritted teeth, his much larger body dwarfing the man.

“N-N-No sir! I won't!” Leonard squeaked.

Norman stared into the younger man searching for any sigh of dishonesty, meanwhile the Pianist and Bass player were frozen, for fear of moving that they would be Normans next target. It was a little known fact that while Norman was relatively reclusive keeping to his projectors and film room, he was strong. The years of toting the projectors around along with film equipment made the older man strong as an ox, yet he was gentle in nature. Seeing him angered in anyway shape or form was exceptionally rare, but heaven help the target of his aggression.

“Oi Mrs. Allison, do me a favor?” Norman spoke while still pinning the violinist.

“yeah?”

“Grab a chair and bar the door, I don' want these three leavin' jus' yet”

Allison slowly removed herself from her guard at the door and pulled a chair over to her former position and slid it under the handle of the door, preventing anyone from opening it. Norman didn't take his eyes off the violinist, but once he heard Allison making adjustments to the room he slowly released the man. Once freed the Violinist slowly slumped into the wall cowering under Norman while the projectionist backed away from him.

“Benny.” Norman calmly spoke.

There was no answer.

“Benny.” Norman repeated in a firmer tone.

The crate that housed the hiding demon shuffled slightly gaining the three musician's attention, Benny slowly lifted himself out of the crate and stood next to it wringing his gloved hands while rocking on his heel slightly, his head bowed starting at the floor.

“C 'mon over here” Norman patted the side of his leg, indicating he wanted Benny at his side.

Benny was hesitant but took a deep breath and made his way across the room, all the while under the awe struck gazes of the musicians, joining Norman at his side. Norman bent down and scooped Benny into his arms and walked over to the empty chair where Benny had been sitting before the threesome entered. He picked up the sandwich that thankfully was still within it's wrap and handed it to Benny. The toon shyly took the sandwich and resumed eating quietly.

“Gents, this is Benny.” Norman nodded slightly towards the toon who looked at the trio worried.

Allison stood by the door on guard, on the off chance that the three tried anything.

“He's a living toon an' a plush toy.” Norman gently stroked Benny between his horns getting a small hum from the plushdemon “He was brought to life an' nearly killed cause he wasn' wanted. I will do anythin' an' everythin' to protect this lil' one, even harm you. Do I make myself absolutely clear?” Norman narrowed his eyes at the trio expecting an answer.

“Shucks Norman, you don't have to be that dramatic. I wouldn't tell a soul about your little friend.” Leonard stepped forward. “If you ask me, I kinda like the little guy. He's cute.”

“Yeah, I ain't got no business spreading a word about your friend either, I mean I value my life.” The bass player scratched the back of his head, still trying to grasp the concept of a living toon.

“I'm not gonna say anything either, but what did you mean by 'not wanted'? I mean he's a living toon, every child's dream. I know my little brother would love him.” The pianist bent down to look at Benny eye level. The toon pressed further into Normans chest.

“It's as Norman said, Benny was supposed to look like Bendy, but he doesn't look exactly like him and because of that he was nearly killed.” Allison spoke up from her door, she slowly walked over next to Norman reaching into the wicker basket and pulled out an apple handing it to Benny, whom happily accepted. “He needs to get out of the Studio somehow. If he's discovered they will kill him.”

Allison turned to face the musical trio studying their eyes, looking for an answer. She hoped that they could be trusted and would be willing help her and Norman protect Benny, after all the more the merrier. The trio of musician's looked between each other and a huge grin spread across the violinists face.

“I'll gladly help out, plus I think it's cool! It will be like a stealth mission: Escape the Hell Studio.” Leonard's waved his arms as if he was reading a huge banner, his grin couldn't possibly get any wider. He was the youngest of the group and had a childish quality about him. To him life was like a game well worth playing and enjoying to the fullest. He walked over the Benny and knelt down eye level to the little demon and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small root beer barrel candy holding it out to the toon.

“Hi little guy, my names Leonard Burn.” The violinist held out his hand carefully to Benny.

Benny looked the man over. Leonard had a short thin build and feathery chestnut brown hair. The most striking thing about him was his large green eyes. His eyes were full of excitement towards Benny as well as honesty. The man didn't seem threatening in any way shape or form, and gave an air of youthful energy and charisma. Benny carefully extended a hand out taking the candy in one hand and slowly shaking Leonard's hand with the other.

Leonards eyes seemed to sparkle after having his hand shook, he eagerly jumped to his feet and bounced in place acting like a very excited teenage girl “He shook my hand! He shook my hand!” he bounded around the room waving his hand in nearly everyone's face before stopping and holding his hand like a trophy “I will never wash this hand again.” Benny was completely wide eyed at the energetic mans reaction to such a simple gesture, still, the man seemed honest enough.

The eldest of the group, the pianist, rolled his eyes at the 'childish' behavior of leonard. He walked up to Norman and Benny bending down to the toons level to see eye to eye. “Nice to meet you little fella, My name is Aaron Reinhardt. I'm a pianist, meaning I play an instrument called the piano.” He ruffled his fingers between Benny's horns resulting in a small hum. “You kinda remind me of my brother when he was a tyke, he was just as shy as you.”

The pianist had soft blue eyes were as calm as the ocean itself and sported short blond hair slicked back, he was middle aged and seemed to act older then he looked. He gave off an air of understanding and patience.

The last of the trio the Bass player seemed more cautious as he had yet to approach. It was clear he was having a much harder time grasping the concept of a living cartoon character and didn't seem to be sure of how to approach Benny, let alone touch him. Benny saw the small hint of fear that lingered in the mans brown eyes, he didn't like the look he was given, but if the other two were willing to give him a chance then he should try and give this man a chance.

Benny slid out of Norman's hold surprising the man as he slowly crept to the bass player who stood stiff as a board. He stood right before the mans feet looking up at him. The bass player was darker skinned then the rest of the group and his height rivaled Norman's, so Benny had to lean back slightly to look him in the eye. The toon put on a small shaky smile and extended an hand up at the man. “N-Nice to meet you, M-My name is Benny.”

The man stared down at Benny not knowing what to do, the toon stayed still with his outstretched hand waiting for reciprocation of his action. He sighed and returned the gesture shaking Benny's hand. “Nice to meet you too Benny, my name is Giovanni Carter.” The man was surprised to find that Benny felt like fabric, he didn't know what to expect when physically touching the demon, and plush fabric was not on his list. He also wasn't expecting that Benny was so polite. He figured that looking like a devil, he would be a mini hell raiser, can't judge a book by it's cover.

“Hey Benny!” Leonard's face immediately in Benny's just as he let Giovanni's hand go. “Have you eaten all your lunch yet? Or do you still got room for more?” The violinists eyes were aglow with excitement.

“Umm...I was eating some before you came.” The toon squeaked in surprise.

“Great!! We brought lunch we swiped from a party that was being held on the other end of the studio, so you can gladly join us.” To prove his point Leonard picked up the bags of food that had been dropped from Norman's assault earlier and held them up for Benny to see. The toon's eyes were instant sparkles at the presentation of additional food.

“ya mean ya crashed a party an' took what ya could grab b'fer' leavin'.” Norman scowled at Leonard, clearly disapproving the act of thievery on the mans part.

Leonard scoffed as Norman's comment and waltzed over to the desk setting the bags down and starting to open them one by one. “Details schme-tails, I like to think of it as 'sharing' personally.”

Benny was instantly at Leonard's side trying to peer into the bag, but the desk was too high for him to get a good look. Allison chuckled at the toons drive for anything edible and lifted him up into a chair so he could see what was brought. One by One leonard pulled out boxes of sandwiches, cookies, a whole apple pie, and a fruit platter. Benny's eye's were sparkles again as he looked at all the food items that were being laid out on the table. Aaron picked up his fallen drinks and brought them over to the desk as well and set them down. The addition of the drinks caught Benny's attention as he never saw so many different colored liquids before and some of them had little bubbles within.

“All right! Time to dig in!” Leonard stepped away from the desk holding his arms out to present the feast next to him.

The group all laughed at the dramatics that Leonard was pouring on, and the laughter seemed to be egging the man on as he got more and more dramatic with his actions. He even had a sandwich eating contest with Benny to see how many sandwiches they could fit in their mouth without choking, he promptly lost since toon logic allowed Benny to hold a whopping 6 while the man choked on his 2. Allison commented how disgusting the violinist was acting as he choked on his sandwich and then chugged an entire bottle of pop afterwards and let loose a loud belch. The woman immediately told Benny to not repeat such an action under any circumstances, and that not everyone he sees is a 'good influence' while she maintained a steady glare at Leonard. Giovanni and Aaron laughed at how much a mother hen Allison had become in such a short amount of time. Norman agreed with them and the 3 enjoyed a chat amongst each other over the fruit platter.

Once the sandwiches and fruit were gone it was time to cut the pie and divvy out cookies. Allison snatched the knife away from Leonard saying that he 'would only make a mess and that no one would get even amounts'. Benny was the first to get his slice of pie and 2 cookies, the toons eyes couldn't get any wider. He absolutely loved the pie and was chattering a mile a minute about how good it tasted. Everyone had to agree as they all got their respective slices and were enjoying the still slightly warm treat. The cookies now becoming an after thought as the pie was well worth the wait.

The party finished up just in time to realize that the lunch break was now over and that they had to report back to their respective areas. Benny and Leonard were a chorus of 'Awwwwws' when they realized that the party was over, but a stern look from Norman inspired them both to pack things up. Giovanni and Aaron both now laughing at the 'teddy bear' that Norman became. He was a huge soft bear with people, but when angry, you got a grizzly. The group cleaned up the room back to the way it was and the trio watched as Benny crawled back into Allison's day pack. Leonard lifted the flap gently and was met by a large grin from the demon within, returning with a grin of his own. With all bags gathered and the room inspection completed the group left the room and headed back down the hall to the music department. All the while a figure glared at them from the opposite hall, jealously and anger consuming the figure before it disappeared around the corner.

\-------------back at the department------------

Norman had finally resumed his position in his projection booth after getting kicked out briefly by Sammy for the estranged director to do something within the department. The staff all stood outside the department all gossiping with each other about the occasional strange behavior of their boss. Though their chatter didn't last long as Sammy finally let them in the department ,and Norman immediately inspected his projectors uttering small curses upon Sammy's name. Allison said nothing as she just waited patiently for the recording to begin.

They conducted a very short practice run through of the new music with Allison singing alongside. She occasionally had to tap her bag slightly to deter Benny from humming alongside her. The last thing she needed was for the toon to be heard, even though she was in her recording booth and the recording equipment was not operational yet.

The recording team all filtered in the band room adjusting mics and double checking wires to make sure they didn't have to record more then once. They didn't have the luxury since Joey kept cutting their budget saying that the band was 'good enough to get the desired sound in one shot'. With the band all checked in and Leonard pretending to hang himself with some of the excess wires which got snatched away from him and a thorough lecture, they inspected Allison's equipment and gave the thumbs-up indicating all was a go. Taking that as his cue Sammy tapped the podium with his baton and raised both hands for all eyes on him. Ensuring that everyone was at the ready, he struck up the band with Allison right behind, the entire team playing and singing out to the best of their abilities.

“Once again lady and Gentleman, Thank you for such a splendid recording. We once again got the music in one shot! It is as though the heavens are granting us success, I'm sure Bendy and his friends would be happy.” Sammy addressed the band while they all were relaxing after the session. “You may all head home early if you wish, but do make sure to pick up the new sheet music before you leave.” With that, Sammy bowed before his team and left the department with the recording staff.

“HELL YEAH, PARTY TIME!!” A young energetic voice rang out in the quiet hall. Leonard lept off the stage and immediately ran to Allison's recording booth, barely containing his excitement. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the booth, pulling up a seat near the podium for her to sit down.

“Benny! C'mon out and dance with me.” He shoved his face mere inches from Allison's bag. The Banjo player laughed at Leonard wondering why the 'youngin' was talkin' t' a bag'. Allison just covered her face in her hands groaning at how excited Leonard was, there seems to be no deterring the man when he had a goal in mind.

“I'm..not really a dancer.” a small voice answered from the bag. The flap lifted off and Benny stuck his head out to look up at Leonard. “But I can sing.”

“The hell?!” The appalled voice startled both Benny and Leonard, the two turned to see the Banjo player pointing dead at Benny “The hell is 'dat?!” The younger man frozen in place with his olive eyes as big as dinner plates.

“Oi! He ain't a 'that'! Earl.” Giovanni smacked the man on the back of his red head “His name is Benny, now go say 'hi' and make nice.” He was not having Earl's nonsense. He felt that he himself already had a odd start with Benny, and to hell with having someone else do the same.

“jesus man, ya hit like a truck!” Earl scowled as he rubbed the back of his head. Giovani glared at him and told him to 'march'.

Earl set his banjo down on his seat and walked over to Benny whom had long since ducked back down into Allison's bag. The man looked around the room feeling awfully silly talking to a bag, but everyone's scornful looks made him nervous. He spared a glance up at the projection booth and saw Norman use two fingers gesturing to his eyes then pointed dead at him and repeated the motion 2 more times, then indicated the cracking of his knuckles. The man's message was clear 'I'm watching you and will hurt you if you get stupid'.

Earl scratched the back of his head “I sure am sorry 'bout that laddy, wasn' expectin' somethi- someone t' be hiding in the lassies bag. Now will ya be comin' ou' the bag so I can get a look at ya?”

Benny edged his head out of the bag to look up at the red head in order for another face to be shoved in his.

“An' I bein' Earl's older brother Edgar Sheean! I'm the brains o' the outfit and the drummer of this here band.” The face beamed at him, the mans hand pushing away Earl.

Earl not appreciating getting shoved off the way he did, yanked on his brothers arm pulling the man away from Benny. Both devolved into bickering with each other and started chasing one another around the room, carrying on about 'ruinin' introductions'.

“you'll have to forgive those two Benny.” Allison laughed from her seat. “Those two are twins and are highly competitive with each other, and a touch energetic.” Both woman and toon watched as Earl finally caught his brother and the two wrestled around, ultimately landing Edgar pinning Earl in a choke hold while giving him a noogie. Norman had to walk over to the two and break them apart then crashed both of their heads against the other to make them stop. Holding each by the scruff of their shirt, Norman walked back to Benny.

“Now you boys done playin' round, or do I have to muss ya up again?” Both boys looked like little children in Norman's cast iron grip.

“We're done.” both whined in unison.

“good.”

Norman set the twins down so they both could meet him properly. They each shook his hand and as soon as they were done Leonard ran up and scooped Benny out of the bag getting a squeaky toy yelp out of him, and dragged Benny over to the center of the room. He set the squirming demon down and grabbed his violin running back to join him.

“You said you sing right?. Know any good songs?” Leonard wasn't taking no for an answer. He had been waiting all day to play with Benny, and he couldn't wait any longer.

“I know a few....but only what Allison taught me.” Benny sparred a glance at Allison with pleading eyes, not quite being comfortable suddenly being in the spotlight. He wasn't used to so much attention, let alone someone as energetic as Leonard whom had no social boundaries in the sense of personal space.

All eyes were on Allison now “So what song's does he know so far?”

“Well he mostly knows the Alice angel songs I've been sining, as well as a few others.”

Allison presented a list of all the songs she taught Benny up to that point and the band agreed on a soft jazzy number. Each took up their instruments figuring they were all gonna be in for grins, figuring that he would be soft like a squeaky toy in his 'singing'. They asked Norman to play conductor while Allison was whispering small reassurances to Benny, telling him she would sing with him so he wasn't alone. Norman raised his hand and looked over at Allison to make sure Benny was ready, both gave a small nod. He dropped his hand and band played softly yet lively to where Allison swayed to match the rhythm. She sang while looking at Benny to encourage him to sing with her.

Norman motioned for the band to increase the volume which they and Allison gladly obliged. Partway through the song Benny began to sing louder then his near whispers at the start. Allison gently lifted him into her lap and hugged him, he could feel the vibrations in her chest with each note and word sung. He closed his eyes and focused on her voice, a voice he had grown to love and appreciate. Without realizing it, his own voice had matched hers, singing just as loudly as she was.

The band now hearing the little demon properly, were all slack jawed at the singing talent of their new friend. He was like a male version of Alice Angel's singing voice, one that was in perfect harmony with Allison. Norman smiled at seeing Benny finally getting into his comfort zone. They selected a few more songs, each more and more energetic and lively then the last. Benny completely forgot about his shyness and was singing to his hearts content. Leonard danced around Allison and Benny while playing his violin and Earl and Giovanni both stomping their feet, and Giovanni occasionally spun the bass around. With his bench seat now long forgotten, Aaron's fingers were dancing along the ivory keys while he himself was near dancing from end to end of his piano. The entire hall filled with music that made everyone whom passed by smile and rock to the beat as they continued their journey.

As they were nearing the end of the song, Allison noticed that Benny occasionally rubbed his eyes and his singing was waning slightly, he was getting tired. When the song ended and the band was about to play something else, Allison held up her hand stopping everyone. “Guy's I think that's enough for the day.”

The group all whined and moaned about having to stop since everyone was on a musical high.

“He's getting tired.” Allison gestured to Benny who was rubbing his eyes again and even yawned. “ I need to put him to bed.”  
The group all had to agree watching Benny now starting to nod off in Allison's lap. Each man started to clean up their instruments and grab their new music for the morrow. They all wished Benny a 'good-night' as they left one by one, except the twins and Leonard, whom decided to have a race down the hall with Leonard giving chase. The older members shaking their heads or covering their faces at the 'shameful' or 'childish' display of their younger members. Allison slid Benny back into her bag and excused herself to her dressing room with Norman right behind her.

\----------At the dressing room------------

Norman pulled out the crate and got Benny's bed together while Allison pulled the sleepy demon out of her bag. Benny was tired but not too tired to return her personal effects he held on for her. Allison repacked her bag with her possessions before lifting Benny back up and laid him down in his bed.

“Did you have fun today Benny?” She softly asked while stroking his horn and covering him up in his coat.

“Uh huh” He looked up at her with half lidded eyes “I had a lot of fun.”

“Good, now get some sleep my little devil.” Allison gently rested her cheek against Benny's. He leaned into her briefly before laying back down and little cartooney 'Z's floated above his head.

She stood back up while Norman slid the crate back into the shelving. A scowl creeping across her face. She knew in her mind she needed to get Benny out. She wouldn't have too long before someone would eventually find him or see him. She needed more information and to formulate a plan.

“Norman.”

“hmm?” The man straitening himself back up.

“Tomorrow I'd like to talk to the band and see if we can get an idea where there might be a weak spot in Joeys hold on the studio. I know you know a lot of people, so see if you can find out anything about potential schedules, shift changes or hell even shipments coming in and out of the studio. There has a to be a gap somewhere.” Allison's eyes burned with determination.

“I understand, I'll see what I can find. He deserves better then this.” Norman looked down at the crate that housed their friend.

“yeah.”

Both nodded in silent agreement, that first thing tomorrow they will try and look for information, anything that could help them sneak their friend out of the studio. He deserved to be as far away from the studio as possible and a better life then the one they nearly took away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Benny is gladly welcomed into the rag tag group of a band as a new member. The little boy is making friends wherever he goes, now the question remains; how long with this last?


	4. The Gears are Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is in motion and the machine is being prepared. The window of opportunity may not last much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I'd like to apologize for the repeated delays with the chapter updates. This particular chapter took longer then I would have liked simply because of things needed within.
> 
> Nevertheless I hope you ladies and gentlemen enjoy.
> 
> On with the show~

Allison woke the next morning to her dismay that Tom had once again left before her. She didn't even remember him coming home from work the previous night either. The last thing she remembered was reading a book on the couch waiting for him to come home, she had long since eaten her dinner and vowed to stay up to wait for him. Now she found herself in their bedroom tucked neatly in bed still wearing the clothes from the previous night, and no sign of her husband at all.

She sighed in annoyance while she got out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes. She washed herself up and came out to the kitchen. Despite her husband's questionable behavior irritating her, there was only one thing that tugged a smile out of her. Benny. The thought of coming to her dressing room and seeing the toons excitement as he would throw himself at her in a tight embrace warmed her heart. Her heart danced in excitement at how the little plushdemon would react to the days food choices.

Allison rolled up her sleeves, threw open the fridge and started grabbing ingredients. She laid out a fests worth of food, eggs, pancakes, sliced fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, potato chips, and soda pop. She eyed all the fixings for breakfast and lunch, but then she realized that the most important meal that lasts the night is missing; dinner. She drifted through the kitchen wondering what her own dinner was going to be let alone her cartooney friend. At a loss, she opened up the fridge and gazed over it's contents. Her eyes ultimately landed on a bag containing fish her neighbor had brought to her the other day saying that her son had caught too much for their family to eat, and that she was more then welcome to have some. She pulled the bag out and examined the fish inside. It was all cod, and the best thing to make with cod for is Fish n' chips.

Allison pulled out oil and poured it in two pans setting the flame on high while she mixed up the batter for the fish. She was thankful she had already cooked up potatoes the night before and set them in the oil to fry. She patted the fish dry and drenched them in batter and gently laid them in the second pan of oil. The house soon smelled of fresh fish and chips. Allison pulled the fish out one by one and laid them on a cloth to drain the excess oil. While she waited for the fish and chips to cool she started to pack her bag.

With the addition of another meal, Allison opted to carry two baskets. The larger one to carry breakfast and lunch and an additional smaller basket to carry dinner. She gingerly picked up all the breakfast and lunch items and packed them carefully so the sandwiches wouldn't get crushed. When the fish and chips had finally cooled enough she pulled out the smaller basket and pack them away. She was more then grateful that the bag was large enough to house both baskets as well as her other personal effects.

With the day pack packed and ready to go, Allison grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She was thankful that the traffic leading to the studio was light since few wake in the early morning hours, but as she neared the studio her road was joined by more and more trucks. By the time she reached the studio there was a conga line of supply and utility trucks with her dead stuck in the middle. To her fortune the trucks were moving at a good pace and her progress to the studio was only slowed down, but not a dead stop. She pulled up in front of the studio to see it overloaded with equipment being loaded and unloaded. She could only stare in awe at the amount of activity that was taking place at the studio, she had never seen so much activity and GENT staff at once.

Allison stepped out of the car and briefly spotted a massive boxy mechanism with what looked like hose attachments and a large nozzle surrounded by gears being loaded into a truck, while another truck was unloading an even larger yet similar device. The other device had larger hose attachments and some sort of nozzle large enough to fit a person, it was more boxy then the previous one and lacked gears around the nozzle. Everything in her gut told her that the glimpse of equipment she just saw was the ink machine, or at least a part of it. Norman had told her that he heard the machine was tested, but the result was Benny whom was a 'reject'. She suspected that the original machine was being scrapped since it was 'experimental'. This new one must be the final version, and it looked like it wouldn't take long to get it operational. In the corner waving the machine into the building was her husband. She wanted to call out to him, but as soon as she saw him was as soon as he was gone. She gritted her teeth, they didn't have a lot of time before the final ink machine was running and their window of opportunity would close.

Allison tightened her grip on her bag and hastily headed for the entrance of the studio, ducking and dodging equipment and staff. She tuned out any and all obstacles as her primary focus was to reach her dressing room, feed Benny and seek out Norman and the band. With her goal in sight Allison heard voices coming from her room yet again. 'This is getting old' She thought to herself as she grabbed the handle throwing open the door to see her entire room full of the band members and Norman.

The group all looked at her initially wide eyed until realization as to whom they were looking at settled, and they all greeted her in unison “Hi Allison”.

With her name barely left the groups tongues a black blur shot out from the group and attached itself to her chest nuzzling her shoulder. “Good Morning Allison!” her face was met was Benny's, the energetic toon clinging to her in excitement.

Allison laughed as she tried to pry Benny off, but the little demon was like a koala. “Alright Benny, if you don't let go you won't get any breakfast.”

Benny instantly released her dropping to the floor with his hands behind his back and rocked on his heel patiently waiting. Allison couldn't help but be amazed at how the toon's attitude changes so suddenly when presented with food. He can go from a sweet little devil to borderline invasive on ones personal space, if not so. The band members all laughed at Benny's sudden mood change, Norman just chuckled in the corner and commented about 'don' be denyin' a growin' boy his eats.'

“Where's Earl and Edgar?” Allison had noted that the 2 out of 3 'terrible trio' band members where not present, which would explain why the room was far quieter. The 3 young men Leonard, Edgar, and Earl combined were a force to be reckoned with and more mischievous then the devil himself.

Giovanni sighed “Those boys can never be on time even if you paid them.”

“Umm... Gio. They are being paid.” Leonard commented with a cheeky grin, and earned him a stern glare from Giovanni. Taking the hint, he removed himself from Giovanni's 'grabbing range', opting to stand near Allison's desk.

Allison strode to her desk past the band and set her bag on the desk. Leonard and Benny both at her side instantly.

“Ooooo~ What did you bring?” Leonard's face burrowed in her pack, Allison grabbed the back of his shirt pulling him away from the bag. The man seemed to have little understanding over not invading other peoples personal space or belongings.

“Not for you.” She scowled. Leonard sheepishly grinned in her grip, and something in the back of her mind told Allison to check her bag. She glanced over at her shoulder at the bag to see Benny's head buried within it just how Leonard's was a few moments ago. “Not you too!”. Allison grabbed Benny resulting in a small yelp from the demon whom instantly looked remorseful as he dangled in her grip while she looked at him eye to eye.

Allison held both the offending violinists and toon devil at her mercies. She walked 3 full paces away from the desk dragging Leonard before releasing him, but now held Benny with both hands looking at him strait in the eye. “Don't always do what you see. Some people-” she glared at Leonard before looking back at Benny “ aren't really a good influence. Ok?” Benny nodded profusely in her grasp.

“If that ain't the 'ya done effed up son' look I'll eat mah hat!” Norman laughed from the corner. The rest of the band all burst into a joyous laughter and the antics of their fellow member and their cartooney friend. Leonard slunk over to Aaron and stood next to man, making sure he kept out of Allison's reach and far away from Giovanni's. The bass player did 2 small gestures at Leonard. Two fingers to his eyes then pointed at Leonard followed by him cracking his knuckles. The man's message was clear, and Leonard hid behind Aaron.

“I'm sorry.” Benny bowed his head looking thoroughly chastised.

“It's ok sweetie.” Allison brought him into a small hug “You're still learning.” With apologies said, Allison walked back to the desk and set Benny down so she could start pulling out the baskets for Benny could eat. Benny was baffled as to why there was two baskets in comparison to the one she carried the previous day. “two baskets?” The demon looked up at Allison.

“Yep” She pulled the larger basket out of the bag. “This is the basket from yesterday, and it has our breakfast and lunch.” She set the basket down on the table and opened up the basket to let Benny look inside at the pancakes, fruit, sandwiches and other items for the day. She then pulled out the smaller one “This one has dinner.”

“Dinner?” Benny looked up at her in confusion, he thought there were only 2 meals a day.

Aaron tapped Allison on the shoulder “I got this” he smiled at her. He turned his attention to Benny whom was now looking up at him. “See most people eat what we like to call 3 square meals a day. That is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now there may or may not be an occasional snack in between, but for the most part it is the 3 meals. Allison made you all three so you won't be hungry while she is gone.” Aaron lowered his voice to a whisper “Now, what do we say?” The man winked at Benny earning a bright grin from the devil.

“Thank you Allison!” Benny once again attached himself to Allison nearly knocking her over, the woman yelped in surprise. Then glared when she realized she'd been had.

“That's dirty pool.” She grinned at the man. She had to admit he set her up, he knew full well the demon would be over zealous when it came to food, especially since she was the one giving it to him. Allison peeled Benny off herself and set him down at the desk. She rummaged through the basket pulling out his breakfast and set it up for him. The demon happily sat and ate while she fingered for the band to follow her to the other side of the room.

“What's up?” Leonard piped up, and was shut up when Giovanni grabbed the man's shirt pulling him down. The bass player finally getting his hands on the overly energetic violinist.

“Boy don' ya know how t' use yer 'inside voice?'” Norman scowled at the now silent Violinist. The last thing the group wanted was for anyone outside to hear them all talking.

“Thank you Norman.” Giovanni smiled at the projectionist but refused to release the violinist. Leonard hung in the man's grip like a small child in the death grip of their mother.

In a low tone Allison recounted what she saw in the studio lot. Each person's eyes were wide while she described the sheer size and look of the 2 mechanical items that were being shuffled around. The overall conclusion she drew that what she saw was the removal of the prototype ink machine, and it was being replaced by the final version. Worst yet, the second machine looked to be already mostly assembled and it wouldn't take long for it to be operational. That meant that they would have to figure out how to get Benny out during the window of the new machine parts coming in, and the old ones going out. Upon reaching the end of her story each man looked at each other, then to Benny, then back to Allison.

“This is one hell of a risk. Joey's got the studio all buttoned up to a point where no one goes in or out without someone noticing.” Aaron spoke before he looked at Benny again whom noticed the man looking at him and he tilted his head slightly. “but for his sake, I'm willing to do what I can.”

The rest of the band nodded in agreement. They all knew with whatever project Joey was developing that the studio was kept under lock and key. Any and all material was being gathered instead of being thrown away like most other studios. Every time a cell or drawing was completed and processed it was immediately taken and never seen again, rumor floated around that a few animators got in trouble for trying to sneak out cells that they had worked on. The only 'safe' place from the art confiscation was the music department since it was only music and not images. Only the music department staff seemed to be able to move about a bit better then the rest of the staff since they had nothing to do with the animation production. What better way to hide a cartoon then in the last place you'd look?

Leonard suggested to hide Benny inside one of the instrument cases, but that idea got shot down when Aaron told him that they have even started checking the instrument cases after a few animators got busted for trying to sneak cells in a lunch box. Giovanni offered to talk to Shawn to see what is being done to the toy factory staff and any of the products being produced there. He suggested that since Benny was originally a Bendy plush that they might be able to swing something with the moody Irishman and get him out through the toy factory and it's supply shipments. The rest of the group had to agree that idea was their best shot at the moment, but Aaron and Norman both suggested having other plans in place, should the primary one be thwarted for some reason.

“Well is everyone is 'bout that time.” Norman gestured to his watch. The group broke from their planning session and watched as Benny emptied Allison's bag prompting wide eyes from the men since it was that infamous taboo of going in a woman's purse. Allison chuckled at Benny whom grinned up at her brightly and opened up his hammerspace. The entire band was stunned into silence while they watched Benny slide Allison's belongings within him one by one and crawled into her bag closing it up behind himself.

Leonard broke free of Giovanni's arm leash and rushed over to the bag and peering inside “Benny how'd you do that!?” The man's eyes aglow with curiosity and excitement.

“Well the cut I have on my stomach I can treat like a pocket, and since I'm a toon a hammerspace pocket.” Benny chimed from the bag.

“Cool. So can you hide just about anything and pull out anything?” Leonard's face nearly buried in the bag. Allison once again grabbed the back of the mans shirt and pulled him away to give Benny some space.

“Well I can't fit any large items, that basket of Allison's is about my limit. I don't know how to pull out anything that isn't in the hammerspace already” Benny sheepishly replied. Even for a toon he didn't know much about how toon logic worked.

Norman relieved Allison of her grip on Leonard, replacing it with his own and turned the young man to face him. “Boy you must love getting' the back o' yer shirt yanked, and do keep in min' that Benny 'ere is only a few days old. He ain't been 'round long enough t' know 'ow toon logic works cause there ain't no other toon t' teach 'em, and we ain't got the luxury to have 'em watch any cartoon's without someone seein' 'em.”

“Well...” Leonard squirmed in Norman's grasp “Actually we do.” Norman raised a brow at Leonard's comment prompting him to continue “Well see you have all those film reels that Sammy makes you play in the screen behind us while we play. Why don't you have Benny hang with you and have him watch the shorts that are being played behind us.”

'So you basically are planning on having a impromptu 'movie night'” Aaron spoke up, raising his brow.

“Exactly!” Leonard spun in Norman's grip to face Aaron, hi face beaming with excitement. “If he doesn't know much about what is it to be a toon then we show him the toon's that star here!”

“Well Benny has made it clear as day that he doesn't like Alice Angel much.” Allison joined in. It seemed that Benny didn't like the image of Alice using the voice some someone whom he cared for.

Leonard finally broke free of Norman's grip and hopped up in the desk, throwing his arms out as if greeting a crowd. “Then we show him Bendy! He is patterned after him so why have him learn from the best!” The man was over zealous about the idea despite the desk groaning under is weight.

“Boy git down from there, we ain't got time fer this. We'll figure it out later durin' lunch.” Norman tried to reach for Leonard in order for Giovanni to beat him to the punch. The bass player snatched Leonard by the collar of his shirt pulling him off the table. Giovanni looked at the struggling violinist and only said one word “March.” Giovanni turned towards the door while dragging Leonard right behind him, the violinist resigned to his fate.

The rest of the group all laughed at the ensnared violinist and Norman commented about how 'that boy is too energetic in the mornin''. One by one the band filed out of the room to head to the department to start the day. Each of them eagerly looking forward to finishing up the session as soon as possible to not only try and find a weakness in Joey's hold on the studio, but to also interact with their new friend.

\------

Sammy was completely overjoyed at the quality of the performance the band was giving. Each instrument resonating off the other as they all played a joyous tune with Allison singing along side them. The recording staff all eagerly listening and swaying along to the beat. The recording session was successful yet again, Sammy quietly thanked whatever god was smiling down on him and his crew. With each recording that was on point meant less pressure from Joey and that was something Sammy could easily be grateful for. The only nuisance he had at present was the blasted pump controls that the GENT staff installed in his office, but if that was the price he had to pay to appease whatever was gracing his department, then he was fine with that.

Throughout the entire session Norman was playing all the respective reels that were required for each song as they came. Benny whom would normally would be with Allison, was encouraged to stay with Norman and watch the films as they were played. The toon enjoyed the scenes with Bendy and Boris, but scowled at any and all scenes with Alice. Since Allison wasn't with him and per Norman's encouragement, Benny once again tried his hand at dancing. He practiced all the while watching his 2D counterpart doing the same thing on the screen, imitating him as best he could. However as soon as he heard Allison's voice coming through the speakers in the room he stopped dancing and sang alongside her. Norman smiled at watching the little devildoll singing to his hearts content, it was obvious that Benny enjoyed singing more then dancing.

The lunch break was kept simple with Norman locking the door to his projection room so He, Allison and Benny could eat in peace. Much to the dismay of Leonard who glued himself to the door wailing like a sick animal begging to be let in, till Earl and Edgar each grabbed an arm and dragged him away from the door. Leonard initially protested at his removal, but upon remembering his promised 'movie night' he eagerly told the twins about the planned evening. The 3 young men all dashed off to gather the 'necessary materials' and to cause mischief and mayhem for another department, providing much relief for the older band members whom all separated to eat and socialize on their own. Once the break was over the band members reconvened at their respective instruments and Allison returned to her booth, leaving Benny to stay with Norman to continue watching the shorts.

Sammy called the session to an end after the second round of recordings and passed out the next round of music to the band, surprising them. Normally Sammy left them to their own devices in retrieving their respective sheet music, but the director was in a good mood and passed out the music personally and thanked them one by one for their efforts. With a skip in his step Sammy bid them a farewell for the evening and left.

When the band was completely certain that Sammy was gone and before Leonard got even one foot towards the projection booth where Benny was, Aaron's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of this shirt restraining him. “Don't even think about it.” The pianist firmly grasped the man. “Walk, not run.”

Aaron walked Leonard to the booth like a dog owner walking an over energetic puppy. Norman gladly opened up the door letting the duo inside. Earl and Edgar rushed up to the booth with snacks they had purchased during their lunch break eagerly looking forward to having a movie night with Benny. Benny thanked them profusely for the snacks they gave him, but kept messing up their names since they were identical twins. Giovanni brought spare chairs from the orchestra pit and set them up in the booth while Norman set up the desired film reels per Allison's request. Allison gave Benny his dinner so he could eat while watching the movie wanting to make sure that the snacks the twins brought wouldn't 'spoil his appetite'. The toon happily ate the dinner first so by the time Norman was done with his setup he could enjoy the snacks throughout the films.

Allison sat in the middle of the group with Benny on her lap so he could see, while the youngest members were sitting on the floor in front of her with Giovanni and Aaron behind her. Norman sat off to the side monitoring the projector and the audio that was being fed through the speaker. The group all either laughed or cheered at the antics of Bendy and his friends, from Bendy's failed attempt to scaring Boris, to Bendy using his face to 'roll' cookie dough, they all sat and enjoyed the little devil darling on the screen as well as their little devildoll amongst them. Whenever a dance solo from Bendy came on the screen Leonard, Edgar and Earl insisted on having Benny dance along side his 2D counterpart. Benny was too shy and simply turned them down saying he wasn't as good a dancer. The twins and Leonard vowed to get Benny to dance with them someday.

\------- Tuesday through Friday-------

The group soon found themselves in a routine as the days crept by. They all would show up to work an hour early and join Benny for breakfast. Each member brought food of their own to not only eat for themselves, but to offer some to Benny for him to try. Benny learned that he liked pretty much any and all food brought to him, even the vegetables Giovanni brought. The man saying something about him needing to 'have a proper balanced diet' while shooting Edgar and Earl glares while they tried to hide their candy bars. Benny learned that apparently candy and chocolate is not a breakfast item. Allison herself couldn't help but wonder exactly how much Benny could eat in a single day since each and every band member, Norman, and herself would all bring food for Benny, and each and every time he would eat it all. Leonard joked about the toon having a 'bottomless pit of a stomach' which rewarded him getting smacked by Giovanni since Benny got embarrassed about having the internal hammerspace that spans the length of his stomach.

During the lunch breaks the group would split up and socialize throughout the studio. Giovanni would chat with Shawn and learned that much to the groups dismay, that after Tom had taken a rejected doll from the trash heap of Shawn's factory a few days ago, Joey came in hours later bellowing about the immediate disposal of any and all Bendy dolls that were defected. Not to mention the threat of a pay cut or no pay at all if there were any additional mistakes made during production, each and every doll, specifically Bendy, had to be perfect. The toy factory was no longer allowed to have a trash heap and instead had to keep the dolls within the factory. While the Bendy plushes seemed to be the target of Joeys aggression, the Alice Angel plushes were becoming an increasing problem with lack of popularity, which at times resulted in them jamming up the belts when a doll would accidentally get snagged by the moving parts.

No matter how much Shawn complained about the Alice dolls there was no answer given, but if it was a Bendy doll, it was destroyed on the spot. Giovanni quickly vacated the room when he watched Shawn blow up on Joey, the mans Irish accent grew so thick that while he knew the irate Irishman was speaking English it was difficult to discern one word from another with the pace for which he was shouting the words. Just before Giovanni fled the factory he spotted a small pile of rejected Bendy dolls and saw that one little dolls looked exactly like a doll version of Benny, say for the stitches. He quickly ran over and stole the doll before it could be destroyed and pocketed it to give to Benny later. The bass player abandoned the factory and immediately retreated to relay the new information in regards to the factory's status. It was a bitter reminder that Benny wasn't supposed to exist and the hopes of using the Toy factory as an escape route dashed on the spot.

With the Toy factory out of the question, Earl and Edgar proposed the idea of having Benny dress like a small child and use Allison's make up to cover his face to get him out. That idea never even got near the runway to take off since Aaron bluntly pointed out that no children are allowed within the studio. Even more so with all the construction that GENT had been doing. The words didn't sway the twins much as the boys eagerly brought in their old childhood clothes the following day and tricked Benny into wearing each and every outfit they brought. To their surprise the clothes fit Benny perfectly say for the collar of the shirt since Benny's head floated above his body. They liked the outfits on him so much the twins agreed to let Benny keep their old clothes for when he did get out of the studio. So he could look like a normal human child and travel. Benny happily accepted the clothes and hid them within his hammerspace, but not before giving each twin a koala hug.

Allison proposed the idea of sabotaging the ink machine parts so the deliveries would have to keep coming to try and complete it. If they could delay the completion till Sunday where there is little to no staff within the building, then they might be able to get him out with the crates and supplies that GENT transported throughout the studio. She offered that since she was smaller then Tom the lead GENT worker and her husband, she could sneak a spare pair of his work clothes so she could blend in with the staff and sneak Benny out. Allison didn't want to cause more stress to her husband, but she couldn't bring herself to trust him to help her since he couldn't be honest with her about Benny and the Ink machine.

With Allison's proposal being the last reasonable one on the table, with the younger members getting an occasional smack upside the head for stupid ideas, Aaron had taken to talk to Grant Cohen the financial advisor/accountant for the studio. While the man had no control over the comings and going within the studio he was a swath of information about the studios expenditures. The man would rant and rave about Joey's wild and overly expensive ideas, and Joey would tell the man to 'just make ends meet' even though there wasn't much of an end left. It was painfully obvious that the studio was in financial straits, and with the development of the ink machine it was running the place into the ground financially. Since Aaron was on good terms with Grant he would talk to him and lightly encourage him to make small cuts to security funding on the weekends, in particular Sunday since most of the studio didn't work on Sunday except the GENT team. After 2 days of chatting and coaxing, Grant finally agreed to cut the funding for Sunday thus lowering security and saving the studio some money. Joey would be none the wiser, and what he doesn't know, doesn't hurt him.

With Sunday set as a the best day to try and sneak Benny out since only the GENT team will be present within the studio and Grant's cuts to the security funding, the hardest part was sabotaging the ink machine parts while not getting caught. The more energetic members of the group, Earl, Edgar, and Leonard gladly volunteered for the role. One young man individually was trouble, getting all three together was an unholy union of high energy, youth, and mischief. The terrible trio ran throughout the studio and would 'accidentally' bust a pipe, hide tools or cause a GENT team member to slip up and break something. Tom more often then not, was hot on the trio's tail about their 'unwarranted horseplay'. Wally would try to sneak away from the disaster the trio would leave behind, but Tom would have none of that. Wally was often seen cleaning or fixing something all the while under Toms watchful glare. The lead GENT worker clearly having enough of the energetic band members antics, and the laziness of Wally.

Tom even got frustrated to a point and confronted Sammy about keeping his department members in line. Sammy whom had already had enough of the GENT team and the ins and outs of his department, in particular his office, blew up on Tom. Sammy refused to rein in his staff since they had been giving him repeated success after success in the recordings, and who was he to stop the groups fun? As far as Sammy was concerned, as long as his band performed perfectly on stage then he could care less what they do off stage. Tom was outraged at Sammy's blatant refusal to assist him, he didn't have the time nor the patience to be continuously working on the ink machine trying to finish it, especially when he had a threat lingering over his head. Both men shouted at each other at the tops of their lungs and had to be separated by staff for fear of a fight breaking out.

Norman bore witness to the entire confrontation between Tom and Sammy. He knew Tom had a underlying temper but had never seen it boil up in such a manner. There was a sense of desperation and frustration in the mans voice as his drowned out Sammy's. Norman couldn't say anything but watch the entire exchange and quickly disappeared while staff was separating the two bellowing men. He retreated and told Allison about what happened between her husband and Sammy and asked if she wanted to have the trio lighten up on the amount of sabotage they were conducting. His only response was a 'no'. They didn't have the luxury of waiting any more since the improved ink machine was installed and final preparations were being made, their window of opportunity wouldn't be open for much longer.

\------- Saturday At the dressing room--------

Allison herself found a strange sense of distance growing between herself and her husband. She hardly saw him, even at home. Tom would leave for work before she woke up and would come home well after she went to bed. The only time she would see him is during the lunch break period, and that would be because she actively sought him out. During one of the couples quiet breaks together they had decided to spend it in Allison's dressing room. Allison had stepped out of the room to use the bathroom leaving Tom alone in her room.

Tom feeling completely famished decided to look for the lunch basket within Allison's bag that she was borrowing from him. He figured he could spare his wife the trouble of getting him his food when he could do it himself. He already felt bad that he hadn't been able to enjoy breakfast and dinner with her at home and that she would go through the trouble to cook for him regardless. He wondered what he did to be blessed with a woman who stood by him, even when at times he felt he didn't deserve her kindness.

Benny could hear the conversation between Allison and someone named 'Tom' that he knew was someone special to her whom she called her 'husband'. What ever that meant. He knew she had stepped out for a moment to 'use the restroom'. The room for the most part was quiet till the bag suddenly started to shift and he knew full well Allison was not in the room, and panic set in fast. 'Oh No! No no no no!' He thought to himself as he listened to the clasps that kept the bag closed being undone. A pair of rough hands gently pried the flap of the bag open and a worn face looked down at him.

“what the?” The gruff looking man uttered as he looked at Benny. The man had tired brown eyes, dark brown hair that was matched by short facial hair and a mustache. Something about this mans face looked familiar to Benny, but at the moment it was the last thought on his mind. The toon remained still hope that the man would think he is a toy.

Tom reached into the bag wrapping his hands around Benny's sides lifting him out of the bag gently. Tom was utterly baffled. He had never seen a Bendy plush so large and that actually looked like he came out of the screen vs. a different iteration of the classic 'teddy bear design' except with a horned head. What really struck him as odd was the fact that this Bendy plush had yellow coloring, off model eyes and large black stitches that ran across the face and stomach. Tom turned the plushtoon over in his arms examining him, running his fingers over the stitches on his stomach and feeling the fabric that made up his body. Tom felt a hint of sadness hit him, this doll that was in Allison's bag reminded him of the little off model Bendy toon that Joey attacked and most likely killed. There was no way the little toon could have survived the blow and was most likely reduced to a puddle of ink somewhere in the studio. The resemblance between the doll and the deceased toon were unsettling and it felt like he was looking at a ghost from his past. Tom turned him over again and started to run his rough but warm fingers over the stitching on Benny's face, sorrow all over the mans features.

The longer he looked at the doll in his arms the more grim reality hit him, he helped bring a little creature to life and watched it get fatally injured and most likely died. He was now tasked with refining the accursed machine with the threat of his wife's life on the line so that another creature to be brought to life and possibly meet the same fate as it's predecessor. Tom's body shook with a growing anger and sadness that was warring within himself. He held a new born life for it to die, the one he cares about will die if he doesn't finish his job, and the next one will most likely die the same way as the first. Everything around Joey dies and that he has no choice to to provide the life that Joey has no qualms about removing. The arrogant director couldn't understand that life needs experience and that it won't have everything at the start, you have to teach it. Each and every time Joey will use the machine to bring something to life, that life will be cut short cause it will never be 'perfect' simply because LIFE ISN'T PERFECT. Tom realized that no matter how much convincing or defending he would do, each and every toon created by the machine will be killed, and each and every time Joey will summon him to work on the machine. No matter how many times he tries he will fail, he is stuck in a loop of misery.

Tom brought Benny close to himself and hugged him, seeking some sort of comfort from what he viewed as a stuffed animal. The man's mental walls broke down and he quietly sobbed resting his head between Benny's horns. Benny was stunned by the turn of events, this man, something about him felt familiar. Benny searched his memories and had little luck till he decided to search his earliest, the ones that gave him such pain. He remembered a rough looking man cooing at him and petting him on his head. Then it all clicked together. This man was the one whom introduced him into this world, showing him such warmth and kindness. His protector from the crazed ax wielding man whom attacked him shortly thereafter. The overwhelming desire to comfort Tom overtook Benny, he wanted to comfort the man whom took care of him at the start of it all. Taking a huge risk, Benny slowly lifted an arm making sure the man holding him couldn't see him and gently rest it on his back rubbing it slowly. This prompted more quiet sobs from Tom, and Benny just continued to rub his back slowly.

Allison entered the room expecting to see Tom sitting and waiting for lunch, she didn't expect to see her husband crying while hugging Benny, let alone Benny rubbing his back. She was utterly baffled by what she was seeing. Tom was such a strong caring man whom would shoulder the world for someone, but to see his strong character break down, it broke her heart. She didn't know what all he was going through, but whatever it was had taken a toll on him. She quietly crept across the room and rested her hand on Tom's back relieving Benny of him comforting the distressed man. Tom seemed unaware of her presence even when she was comforting him “Honey? You ok?” She quietly asked him while rubbing his back.

Tom's sobs quieted down and Allison didn't say anything more while she waited for him to calm down. It took some time for Tom to compose himself and slowly let go of Benny, setting him on his lap. “Sorry you had to see that.” Tom straitened himself back up and looked at Allison with tired eyes.

“It's ok, you're probably just tired and stressed out” Allison warmly smiled at him.

Tom nodded and leaned back in the chair stretching as best he could. “So...what's for lunch?”

Allison looked immediately at Benny, with the toon in Tom's grasp he can't pull out the basket without Tom noticing. A little idea danced in her head and she wondering if Tom would fall for it, but it was worth a shot. “First you'll have to close your eyes” She winked at him.

Tom raised a brow but didn't question Allison's actions and complied to her command. Allison waved her hand in front of Tom's face making sure he couldn't see before nodding at Benny. The plushdemon carefully moved his arms to open up his hammerspace and pulled out the basket handle. Allison assisted him and removed it all the way, all the while Tom had his eyes closed and unaware as to what was going on in front of him. Both Allison and Benny were careful in their movements in the hopes that Tom didn't catch on, but once they were sure that everything was secure, Allison finally spoke up “Good, now open.”

Tom opened his eyes to see Allison holding out the lunch basket packed to the brim with food. A gentle smile graced Tom's tired face and he set Benny on the desk so he could start eating. The lunch between the couple was spent in silence. Allison simply sat next to Tom with her head resting in his shoulder leaning against him, her mere presence provided all the comfort and security Tom needed. He relaxed himself into the chair and quietly ate the food that had been provided, all the while occasionally glancing over at the doll that was laid against his wife's desk. Tom stared at the devildoll on the desk, it was so detailed and carefully made, not a single visible seam, nor blemish in the fabric, the entire body was almost like it was one solid piece of material. Now a little question burned in the back of his mind. Where did she get it?

“H-Honey?” Tom's soft words breaking the momentary bliss of the room. Allison hummed against him in acknowledgment. “Where did you get the Bendy plush? I mean he is very well made, he is too nicely done to have been made by our grouchy toy maker.” Tom chuckled at the mere thought of Shawn actually taking care in the toys he made. While the man was a professional, he did make the occasional mistake that resulted in a tirade from Joey. Though in recent weeks the man would deliberately make a mistake just to irk Joey.

Allison looked over at Benny whom was laying perfectly still, she could tell the toon was looking at her with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “A coworker made him for me.” She wouldn't dare tell her husband that Benny came from the ink machine. “He was a gift for helping them out with a small project awhile back.”

Tom smiled at hearing her words. Allison had a lot of compassion when it came to people, and it was comforting to know that people showed their appreciation for her efforts, that she wasn't being taken advantage of. His smile disappeared when he saw Allison looking downwards towards the floor and had a small frown on her face “Honey you ok?” He gently nudged her with his shoulder.

“It's just with Joey acting strange lately I can't take him home, I have to hide him here.” Allison sighed leaning into her husband “He is such a lovely gift and I can't enjoy him.”

Tom looked over at Benny then back at Allison. “Tell you what, my project is nearly complete. I have one more day to finish up and afterwards I can bring him home for you. Joey won't be bothering me after his project is done, and I'm sure I can bring your friend home then. I promise.” he hugged her gently. He didn't want such a lovely gift ruined by Joey. He only had to endure one more day of hell and he would be free.

Allison looked up at her husband and gave him the biggest smile she could muster, she lifted her hand up to Toms cheek leading him down to her and she kissed him. As she broke away she quietly whispered “Thank you Tom.”

Tom's words were music to Allison's ears. He would be able to easily get Benny out of the studio after Joey has been pacified. Her mind instantly thought of how she would introduce her husband to Benny properly and all the things they would do once they were together. Images of the three of them all together as a family floated through her mind.

Benny sat there watching the scene unfold before him and could see the pure joy on Allison's face when the Tom told her he would take Benny 'home'. From the conversation Benny had concluded that Tom and Allison lived together, and that he will be taken with them in a day's time. The toon could barely contain his own excitement at not only getting out of the studio and away from the man named 'Joey', but to also go to a place called 'home' with Allison. His trademark grin got a little wider at all the thoughts that danced through his head about how a world beyond the studio must be like. He could hardly wait.

Tom glanced at his watch and realized that the lunch period was nearly over and he had to go back to work. Allison cleaned up the remains of their lunches and waved Tom off as he left to resume his task. She turned back to Benny flashing him the brightest grin she could possibly muster and was met with an equal grin from the toon. Both were equally excited to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and that their nightmare was nearly over. Benny eagerly inhaled his lunch before stuffing the basket back within himself and returned to Allison's bag, his grin bigger then ever as he peered out the bag at Allison. With a spring in her step, she nearly skipped and danced down the hall towards the music department. She couldn't wait to tell the band the good news.

Tom returned to the redesigned ink machine looking over the accursed mechanism. The contraption was far bigger and seemed intimidating compared to it's previous counterpart. Joey had taken to drawing strange patterns around and in the machine, much to Tom's dismay. He couldn't understand what the strange patterns were and Joey's only excuse was that they were for 'decorative purposes' and weren't anything to be wary of. The machine itself was ready, but needed to have a secure supply of ink. The constant pipe bursts and Wally's laziness was the only thing holding the machine back. All of which were quick and easy fixes, but the sheer amount of bursts felt deliberate, but lacked proof or witnesses to whom was the culprit behind his delays. He could only hope that he would be able to secure enough pipe to go through with the activation of the machine tomorrow.

\------ After recording------

With the recording once again successful and wrapped up for the day and Sammy nearly hopping down the halls with a beat to his step, the band all came out to play. Allison eagerly told them what Tom wanted to do once the machine was finished, and ironically it was scheduled to be completed on Sunday which is tomorrow. Norman immediately asked if Tom was aware of Benny and Allison told him no. Tom didn't seem to know that Benny was a living plushdemon and seemed to only think he was a gift after Allison told him that Benny was a present from a grateful coworker. The unholy trio Edgar, Leonard and Earl asked if they should cease their sabotaging the ink machine and they got a simple 'yes'. They needed the machine to be completed now since Tom was a oblivious participant in their getting Benny out of the studio. They were to cease their destruction immediately and if possible assist without being seen. If there was an pipe rupture or spill, repair it to the best of ones ability and clean up the mess. The sooner the machine is up and running, the sooner Benny is out of the studio. The band all cheered in excitement at the realization that Benny would finally be free of the hell hole studio and at a place where he belongs. Each member took up their instruments and played a lively tune while for grins Norman played some of the dancing scenes on the walls behind the band to help set the mood.

The band watched in amusement as Benny actually tried his hand at dancing properly. For grins, and use of toon logic, Benny gave off the appearance of him hoping in and out of the screen during the dance solo all the while mirroring his 2D counterpart, and at one point even looked like he was dancing with him as partners. Benny was simply elated at the reality of finally getting a place to call home rather then a crate at the bottom of a shelf. Singing was out of the question when he felt like dancing to show how truly overjoyed he was. The band, Allison and Norman all encouraging him as he dipped in and out of one musical number to another. The sense of relief, happiness, and belonging danced through the air strong and true.

Unbeknownst to the partying group there was a set of eyes staring dumbfounded at the scene before him. Sammy didn't seem to be at all aware of the band playing as his focus was dead locked on Benny, the toon had his back to the director all the while doing a simple little tap dance. Sammy had jokingly commented about how he felt that Bendy was blessing his department with the overwhelming success as of late, but he never thought that Bendy was physically in his department, let alone a real entity. The man stood there in complete shock until Benny finished up his dancing number and took a bow before walking away. The stunned musical director spun on his heel and burned rubber up the stairs and down the halls to Joey's office throwing the door open.

The sudden intrusion into Joey's office set the older man off, he frantically grasped at papers covered in strange circles and writings hiding them from view, all the the while shouting at his sudden intruder. “Mr. Lawrence! What on earth is your major malfunction now!?”

Sammy was winded from his mad dash to the office and struggled to catch his breath “S-Sir! It's-It's Bendy!” The musician rested his hands on his knees still struggling to subdue his gasping for air. Joey lifted a brow and rose from his chair, with cane in hand he cautiously approached the over excited musical director. “What about Bendy?”

“H-He's real! And he's in my department!!” Sammy looked up at him with a excited madness to his eyes “He was tap dancing in my department, hopping on and off the screen!”

Joey frowned at the description Sammy had given him. There was no way Bendy could hop off the screen, at least not yet. That meant that the abomination that he failed to eliminate thanks to the stubborn refusal from Tom was still alive and in the studio, and seemingly in good health. Not only that, but it was playing within a department that only made music and had nothing to do with actually creating Bendy nor ink for it's needs. The music department was the last place he'd look for a freak of ink. Joey's frown soon slipped into a sly grin, which he quickly moved to his 'golden smile' and decided to exercise his 'silver tongue'.

“Why Sammy, you should feel blessed!” Joey helped Sammy to his feet properly and brushed off his shoulders. “Bendy has appeared to shower you with his blessings of success, your department has been nothing short of perfection these past few days, and you have Bendy the thank for that. Your dedication to your role of writing his music has pleased him, you should feel happy that our lord Bendy has ascended the lighter side of hell and now resides in your department.”

Joey's words sunk deep within Sammy, Bendy was a god who ascended from the depths of hell to shine light onto his life. His dedication and wishes had reached his lord and now he was getting everything he ever wanted. He was bathed in a wealth of success, respect and recognition, the very things he never had when starting out in his career. He was used to being the 'bottom dweller' and his only talent was writing music and playing instruments, but now that talent was being rewarded in the most spectacular way. Sammy's eyes were alight with a passionate flame of determination. “What should I do for him sir?”

With his trademark smile back on his face Joey looked Sammy dead in the eyes. “If you find him, bring our lord to me. He deserves a proper welcoming to our world.”

“Yes, nothing but the best for him.” Sammy whispered in agreement and turned on his heel to return to his department to find his lord.

Sammy finally out of earshot Joey burst into a boisterous laughter, he couldn't believe how things were falling into place. He now had Sammy out looking for the abomination for him and will present the failure to him so he can finish it off, and by the morrow he will have his ink machine and the real Bendy the dancing demon. Sure he had a few set backs at the start of the week with Tom's little stunt and the escapee freak of ink, but now none of that mattered. The older man returned to his desk and rested in his chair, his Grey eyes joyfully looking over the papers he had been studying earlier prior to Sammy's intrusion.

Joey by no sense of the word was a religious man, but when he found a strange book called 'The Illusion of Living' and how things can be brought to life with the use of mechanics and magic, everything had changed. A bit of magic here, a few sacrifices there and you have the conditions to make life, and what better way then to use them to bring cartoons to life? He was already well aware of his studio's short comings with the increasing difficulty in animations being completed on time, rising costs and labor, and the grim truth that with other studios introducing color film which his studio lacked, he was falling behind. If he could bring the characters to life then no matter what the other competitors did with their color films, it wouldn't top a real life toon.

He had all the necessary conditions and pieces, no all he has to do is wait til tomorrow when the machine will be complete and he will have his rise to glory.

\--------Meanwhile Back at the Music Department------

Sammy made a mad dash back to his department to find that everything was closed up for the day. All the instruments were put away, the projectors were cleaned up and off, and not a trace of Bendy to be found. The director frowned at the fact that he missed his chance, but surely there will be more. As long as his band performed splendidly meeting the demon's needs, then he will reappear. He tried playing the recordings of the band and had the projector running to see if he could summon the demon, but no matter how many records he played, nor reels in the projector, not a single hint of Bendy was to be seen. The man frowned and started to clean up the records when he slipped on a puddle of ink, sending him crashing onto the floor spilling all the accumulated records. He cursed his rotten luck sitting up and spotted something that had his undivided attention. A lone Bendy cutout. It was a cardboard cutout that Joey had made up by the animation department and it sat in the far corner of the orchestra pit hidden by a stack of chairs.

Sammy got up and wandered to the cutout pulling it out of its hiding spot examining it, the thing looked exactly like the devil darling. Then a little idea crossed his mind, what if Bendy only came out when the cutout was present, but now that it was hidden he got upset. Sammy set the cutout in a corner at a vacant chair and went back to collect the fallen records. There weren't many cutout made and they were scattered throughout the studio. If he could gather all the current cutouts and use them to decorate the department and have the band playing with the shorts playing behind them, then surely that must appease Bendy. However that will have to wait for tomorrow since there was no way he could gather up all the needed cutouts after hours since much of the studio was put to bed for the day.

Tomorrow is another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The true Ink machine is ready, time is running out, and their secret is out. Will everything go as planned, or is all doomed to fail before it even starts?


	5. A Dancing Demon and A Distraught Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Tick tok* You race the clock  
> *Ding dong* The time's all gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ch 5 finally done~  
> I've been going back and adding in some of the drawings that I've done for the AU into the previous chapters and will continuously add in more as I am able. It's a balancing act between my artworks, writing and a full time job.
> 
> On with the show~

Tom slowly rose from his bed quietly groaning with each movement, his body protesting the stress he has been subjected to. He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping figure next to him and a faint smile graced his features. He slowly and carefully extended a hand and brushed away a few stray strands of hair from Allison's sleeping face. Tom wanted nothing more then to give his wife a great big hug shouting and cheering, but he wouldn't celebrate until the ink machine was running and Joey wasn't breathing down his throat anymore. he quietly got dressed grunting and groaning the entire time, his body had enough of him beating it into the ground and wanted rest. He silently chanted a mental mantra 'just a few more hours', just a few more hours', he would have to survive a few more hours then he would be able to catch up on all the sleep he could ever want. Tom grabbed his work coat and car keys and headed out the door, he figured he could grab a quick 5¢ burger and penny coffee for breakfast. Again. He quietly longed for Allison's early morning breakfasts where he would be graced with anything from warm pancakes to sausages and hash browns. The little mantra resurfaced in his mind while he stopped at the local diner and got his breakfast, 'just a few more hours'.

Tom drove down the road towards Joey Drew Studios and his thoughts drifted to his journey to this point. The beginning of the week the experimental ink machine was completed after weeks of planning and building. The frosting on the cake was the darn thing actually worked! It even made a living toon on the first try, but Joey had to ruin that by attacking and killing the innocent creature. Tom truly felt bad for the little toon, it didn't ask to be made and was killed for looking different. Then to add insult to injury Joey threatens his wife's life if the machine isn't working properly and produces a perfect toon. Tom gritted his teeth at the memory of the verbal exchange with Joey. He silently wished that Bendy would turn against Joey and bring about his ruin in some fashion, but not at the expense of the toon's life. He already hated the loss of one toon he couldn't bear the thought of another being killed for no reason. Tom gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as the only thought that ran through his mind is that 'the nightmare is almost over' as he saw the outline of the studio coming into view.

Tom barely got out of his car when he spied a annoyingly familiar sight. Joey Drew. The studio director was standing in the doorway of the studio staring directly at Tom. The mechanic couldn't help but mentally question if Joey doesn't have a home to go home to since the man always seemed to be at the studio. Tom decided to grin and bear it for a bit longer and approached the entrance with Joey ready and waiting for him.

“Morning Mr. Drew” Tom spoke through clenched teeth on a fake smile he plastered on his face.

“And a good morning to you too Mr. Connor. Today we will make dreams come true.” Joey happily placed his hand on Tom's shoulder and showed the man inside either ignorant or ignoring the mechanic's fake attitude. Tom took Joey's actions as a good sign that the director was in a good mood and felt it was best not to fight the man at this point, it was safer to go with the flow rather then go against it.

Joey lead Tom to the ink machine room for him to begin the initial checks and preparation prior to the rest of the GENT staff arriving. Joey left Tom to his own devices and made a hasty retreat to the depths of the studio, the sounds of his foot steps and cane disappearing down the halls. With a clipboard in hand, Tom drifted about the base of the machine checking and double checking nuts and bolts making sure the primary pipes that fed the machine were secure. Once he double checked each nut personally with his own wrench finding that he had to tighten a few that Wally claimed he had secured, he started checking the two backup pipes. He knew the machine only needed the four central pipes to operate but he liked having the backup just in case something happens to the primary set. Tom gently crawled under the machine and ran his wrench over each bolt on the back ups making sure that all was secured. 

With all the pipes checked and secured Tom checked the gauges ensuring they could handle the pressure they would soon be subjected to and hoped that Wally had remembered his lecture about how to handle the machine if it's pressure exceeds a certain number. Though he was quietly thankful wally was not around to bumble over the simplest of tasks. The last thing he needed was for something to get ruined and potentially cause a malfunction and end up with something that is far worse then just the image of a cartoon devil. Tom shook his head slightly, those thoughts were the last thing he needed on his mind. He needed to stay focused and make sure everything went off without a hitch. Though he found the strange circular patterns that Joey drew all over the machine and on the floor at it's base distracting. They were an eyesore and took away from the machine itself. Joey called them 'decoration' but while Tom wasn't an interior designer he knew the primary focus should be on the machine and not the strange children's drawing all over the place.

Tom spent quite a bit of time checking and double checking the ink machine making sure every nut, bolt, rivet, gauge and pipe were all in place and ready to go. The bustling of the rest of the GENT staffs arrival was the only relief he got and briefly sat down relaxing ever so slightly while the team rechecked everything and filtered throughout the studio checking all the machines inner workings and veins. While he relaxed Tom looked at the machine in it's entire. The massive boxy mechanism with a single nozzle with pipes that encased the studio, it was like a strange heart. The machine itself made dull throbbing sounds when ink was filtered through it on a low pressure and the throbbing eerily was at the same pace as a heart beat. The ink that flowed through it was it's blood that provided life to a mechanism that was designed to make life. Tom chuckled at the irony, creating a machine that imitated the proof of life with it's heartbeat to make life. He knew full well that despite Joey's claims it was only an illusion, the life he saw was real.

Tom momentary relaxation didn't last long until he saw Joey striding up to him with that eager gleam in his eye and sporting a bag. Tom inwardly groaned, it was the bag containing the 'sacrifices' that Joey had added onto the machine to operate. He seriously couldn't help but question why Joey insisted on having 6 items from the different departments being used as “keys” to turning on a machine when a simple throw of a switch yielded the same results. “Ugh, Someone is eager.” Tom rolled his eyes, sarcasm rolling off him in waves.

“You should be too, Mr. Connor. Our dreams are about to come true and we'll be famous.” Joey walked over to Tom resting his arm on Tom's shoulder as he waved towards the ink machine. “Think of all the people who would line up to see living toons, the joy on the children's faces at seeing their favorite characters physically in front of them rather then on a silver screen. To be able to shake their hands, hug them, talk to them and to play with them. It all begins here and it will be greatest moment in our studio's history” Joey's grin growing wide and his eyes held a bright gleam of enthusiasm. All his efforts aren't for naught and he will be able to salvage his studio from near bankruptcy and will rise up to quash all his competition. He, Joey Drew director of Joey Drew Studios will sit upon the throne of a glorious empire.

Tom didn't say a word while he listened to his bosses sickeningly sweet words. He could only wonder how many people where fooled by honeyed words from Joey, the mans 'golden smile and silver tongue' luring people to false promises. He now knew that all this effort from him, his staff, hell even everyone in the studio, it was all for Joey's benefit. None of them were having their dreams come true. Many were hired on with the gift of a dream job, only to find that it was bitter, cold and merely a foot hold for someone else. He silently cursed his own horrid luck with getting tangled with Joey, but he hoped that this would be the last thing he does for the man then he will take a page from Wally's book and 'get outta here'.

“Sir!” A GENT staffer ran up to Tom and Joey. “All checks have been completed, and all the staff are reporting that all systems are a go.”

Tom was about to speak when he was interrupted by joey “ Good show man, now you all should go home for the day.” The director waving his hand dismissively.

The GENT worker looked over at Tom confused, they had only been at the studio for a few hours and yet were being told to go home. They had yet to see the machine operate properly say for the repeated running it on a low pressure to circulate the ink and check it's efficiency. It was more confusing when Joey himself was telling them to leave when all he did was bar them from going home on time and straddled them with one task after another.

Tom saw the confused yet curious look on the workers face, but at this point he couldn't risk his team being subjected to Joey's torment anymore. “It's ok. Let the team know they can go home. I can man the machine myself for the time being.” Tom tried to smile reassuringly to his employee.

The young man looked at Joey and then back at Tom “Yes, sir. Thank you sir.” He tipped his hat and strode down the hall to round up the rest of the staff.  
“So you actually can manage a team of staff, and here I thought that title of 'Lead GENT' worker was just for your intelligence and not people skills. A good show none the less” Joey grinned as he shot a small glace at Tom while they watched clusters of GENT workers leaving.

Tom shot the man a glare. He knew he didn't always have the best people skills and he wasn't big on communicating his emotions, but he was a professional. He took his job very seriously and didn't hesitate to communicate information pertaining to construction, maintenance or general knowledge. A grin crept up across his face “Well at least I can keep my staff happy instead of miserable” while he waved good-bye to a few members of his team who eagerly waved back. 

“No matter. Once we're done here I won't be needing you anymore Mr. Thomas Connor. You are relieved of your duties once I see Bendy. I'm well aware that Wally has been training under you, and he will be taking your place once you are gone.” Joey coolly shot back.

Joey's words were music to Tom's ears he couldn't contain the smile on his face “Oh whatever shall I do?” Tom dramatically rested his arm across his face. “I guess I'll have to seek out another full time employer, hopefully one who has money and isn't bankrupt.” letting out a overly dramatic sigh. He couldn't wait to go back to the GENT headquarters and seek out another contract with an employer whom he wished would have more compassion then the shew Mr. Drew. He didn't miss the red that was dusting the director's face. He knew he struck a nerve with Joey, and he frankly didn't care.

“I am not bankrupt you scoundrel and pathetic excuse of a mechanic!” Joey barked, his voice echoing off the walls of the room “ I will have my rise and this is merely a 'business expense' and 'investment'.” Joey brushed his hands over his hair trying to smoothen his ruffled hair back to it's normal slicked back look, a sneer plastered on his face “Do keep in mind your precious wife works for me. She can always have an accident if things don't work out.”

Tom returned the sneer with own confident grin “I'm certain it will work cause it worked the first time on a experimental phase and now it is on the real run. Though do keep in mind sir in the 'agreement' if you want to call it that, was that she was to be safe from harm as long as the machine was 'completed on time and you have a on-model Bendy'. So the machine is completed on time and it will produce a perfect Bendy, therefore I have met your terms to the 'agreement' and you can no longer touch her. If you do hurt her and label it an 'accident' I can testify as a witness and victim to threats and the damages done will be viewed at 'premeditated' or even so far as 'attempted murder'. You'll loose everything you've ever built and most of all, you'll loose Bendy.”

Joey scowled at the confident GENT worker, Tom had him pinned and the tables have turned. “Just get the items ready and prepare the machine, you're still mine till further notice.” Joey lowly growled out.

'Regrettably yes, for now.” Tom grinned relishing in the small victory over Joey. It wasn't everyday the director was taken down a notch, but for now he had to play nice since he was still on his payroll and they didn't have Bendy just yet. It was still too early to celebrate. Tom gestured towards the hall and Joey glared at him, but followed.

The dueling duo paced down the hall in silence say for the occasional clicking sound of Joey's cane and the two came upon the primary control room for the machine. The room was long and had 6 large posters with 3 on each side of the room and before them a pedestal. Pipes radiated from the base of the pedestals and the posters above indicated what was needed to be placed on each respective slot. The pipes lead to the back wall of the room which was covered in pistons, pipes and other mechanics with a large black panel that read 'Low Pressure' and a large sign above reading 'Ink Machine'. It was a strange room that felt like a shrine with altars, but it was Joey's 'unique' requirement and the eerie commentary about 'appeasing the gods'.

Tom turned to face Joey fully and extended his hand. “The items, sir.”

Joey glanced down and the bag he held tightly in his hand before handing it over to Tom, his Grey eyes studying every motion critically. He watched impatiently as Tom took each item out of the bag and was about to place them onto the pedestals. “Hold it Mr. Connor.”

The mechanic halted his action and looked at Joey frustrated “What is it now? Do you want Bendy or not?” Tom was surprised at Joey's sudden intrusion but at the same time growing frustrated with yet another delay.  
Joey gestures at the Bendy Doll in Tom's hand “The cog wheel goes first, then it's followed by the wrench, inkwell, vinyl record, the doll, and finally” Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out his black book. The Illusion of Living. “This is the last piece” he held it out for Tom.

Tom looked at the strange book with a sense of foreboding. He had never seen such a book before and Joey told him that there were 6 items used for the pedestals but never eluded as to what the last one was. This strange book gave off an unsettling aura about it, like it wasn't meant to be in the hands of a human, or anyone for that matter. He extended his hand carefully plucking the book from Joey and dare not look at it any longer then he had to and resumed his placing the items in the strange order Joey specified. Yet another annoying requirement for a machine that already complicated enough on its own. 

Tom swallowed his scornful thoughts and one by one he approached each pedestal and placed the respective items. He briefly paused at the Bendy doll in his hand and his memory briefly drifted to the first Bendy toon but he shook the thought out of his head and placed the doll on the pedestal. As soon as the pedestal registered the items placement it sank into the ground slightly clicking into place as a light above turned on. With the last item in hand Tom approached the last pedestal and placed the book, the pedestal slumped into the ground clicking into place joining the rest. All 6 were in place and were ready to go. Tom quickly vacated the room going down the hall to another room and turned the pressure valve. He couldn't help but wonder why Joey insisted on it being so far away from the main controls rather then next to it where it was easier. He turned the valve till it was fully opened and he could hear the ink rapidly flow through the pipes in the area making the building vibrate from the pressure. He ran back to the main control room and noted the 'Low pressure' had now changed to 'Ready' the machine was ready to begin. He lowered the lever and in response the lights in the building flickered from the strain of the machine but held fast.

“Let's go sir.” Tom gestured to Joey for them to return to the room containing the machine itself. Tom was in no sense of the word in a hurry to reach the room, remembering the first time with the experimental machine and the chaos that followed. Joey on the other hand seemed to ignore his limp and held a purposeful stride to the chamber. The directors eyes were now mad with excitement, something that Tom wished he could wipe clean off the mans face. 

The two men arrived at the ink machine room and could hear the machine humming with ink flowing through it. It seemed almost alive with it's low hums, seemingly waiting for it's master.

“Now Mr. Connor, on my mark I want you to pull the lever” Joey pointed to the control panel on the side of the room and Tom raised a brow but didn't feel like arguing and complied.

The mechanic took up his position by the side of the room with the controls and Joey pressed his hand against the side of the machine. He couldn't believe it. All this time and preparation were for this moment, something he thought he would never see. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He stared down at the drawing. It was a simple drawing but one that started it all. The little piece of paper contained the first official drawing of Bendy the dancing demon. Henry had spent hours drawing that day and the man had drawn such a cute endearing character that was sure to attract the crowds. He gifted one of his first drawing of the devil darling to Joey and apologized for smudges on the edges of the paper where his sweaty palm had rested as well as a tiny blood spot from where he got a paper cut earlier that day. The drawing wasn't in pristine condition being slightly soiled by Henry laboring over it, but it was the first. If this wasn't enough to bring Bendy to life then nothing in the studio was, except the creator himself.

Joey took one final look at the paper before inserting it into the panel on the side of the machine. He then turned his attention to the pile of film reels that had been brought in earlier and one by one he fed all the materials to the machine. It felt like the feeding wouldn't end until he finally held up the last reel. The very first film reel that Henry had made; 'Tombstone panic', it was a cute little introductory short with the devil darling that had jump started Bendy's popularity. Joey remembered the short and remembered that something had happened to the film causing it to break and the ending portion disappeared. Only a beginning with no end, but it was the first and most important. With a slide of the panel the reel was placed inside and swallowed by the hungry machine.  
“Now Tom!” Joey hollered across the room. He watched as the mechanic pulled the level and then hovered intently over the gauges and valves.

The Machine grumbled and choked initially, but once it's stuttering was done it roared to life violently swaying on it's chains, the lights of the room flickering from the renewed strain. Sounds of grinding and shredding emanated from the base of the machine as it chewed and swallowed the cells, reels and drawing all converting them to the ink they originally came from. The grinding sounds died down and the machine's bellowing died down to a content hum as it waited for further action.

Joey rested his hand lovingly on the side of the machine and produced a ink pen from his pocket. With tender and careful hands Joey drew a small circle and pentagram on the side of the machine. Satisfied with the inscription he removed himself from the side of the machine and stood before the machine admiring it before he knelt down and redrew the same circle and pentagram on the floor beneath the nozzle. Despite a circle having already been drawn beneath the base of the machine he wanted to be absolutely sure of the scriptures he had read and wanted no errors.

Tom watched Joey out the corner of his eye. He wasn't in a position to do anything about Joey since he had to make sure the machine was operating correctly, but he couldn't help but be concerned about the new additional patterns decorating the side of the machine and Joey retracing the one on the floor. If he didn't know any better, it resembled something from some strange occult and didn't and shouldn't belong in a place meant to make people smile, but he could do was watch.  
With the final stroke of a finger Joey grinned satisfied with his work, but that satisfaction faltered as he stood back up. His body protesting his actions, a reminder that his body was broken and didn't work as well as he'd like. He backed away from the machine and stood before it with outstretched arms, boasting to the open air before the machine. “The 6 items of sacrifice each a mere fraction of life, offered to create the demon born of paper and ink. I call forth Bendy to rise out of simulation to the world of realization.”

With the last of Joey's words leaving his lips the markings that were drawn on the side of the machine as well as the floor lit up with a dull red glow. The air seemed to grow cold as the lights flickered and dimmed, making the red glow seem even brighter then before. The machine reacted violently to this sudden change of events and quivered on it's chains. It's content hums now screeching and straining as it's pipes were pulsing and writhing like snakes from the ebb and flow of the ink. The building itself rattling from the sheer force of the pipes strain. Tom frantically reached to turn the valves to lower the pressure of ink flowing to the machine, but a shout from joey told the man to merely release the safety on the machine allowing it to be completely open and to back away in case something went wrong. Tom swallowed heavily and with the spin of a valve he removed the safety lock and backed away still watching the machine writhe in a strange possessed agony. The screeches and wails died down and the nozzle shook as a mass of thick ink oozed from it and dropped onto the pentagram beneath it on the floor. The machine stopped swaying as if exhausted from use and hung limply on its chains, the pipes surrounding it no longer violently thrashed as they all limply slumped and sprawled out all over the floor. 

Tom was instantly reminded of the first Bendy and like the first one the gelatin mass of ink pulsed and swayed as it was taking shape, the ink splitting in two like the first time. The bottom portion of ink grew two short limbs ending in shiny boots and was swiftly followed by two additional limbs sporting a white gloved hand with two buttons on each hand. Tom immediately noted the lack of color on the gloves, they were monochrome like how Bendy is in the cartoon unlike the sepia colored version. The final gelatin mass of ink took on the very characteristic round shape ending with two little stubby horns atop the head and sporting a large white face. The face had a small frown and the eyes were closed as the little black and white toon lay on the floor in the puddle of ink he was made from.

Tom initially made a move to remove himself from his station to inspect the newborn toon, but Joey was already leaning over the toon picking him up. A twinge of annoyance hit Tom as he felt Joey was not handling the newborn toon as gently as he should, the director lifting the toon by his stomach placing him over his shoulder rather then cradling him like a child.

Joey turned towards Tom and gave him a smile “You may go now Mr. Connor. Your work here is done, make sure to clean out your closet before leaving.” Tom nodded slightly and watched Joey turn on his heel and leave taking Bendy with him. The toon barely cracked his pie cut eyes open and looked up at Tom sleepily. He gave a small smile and a wave before Joey disappeared out the door closing it behind himself.

Tom gently rested against the control panel, all his energy drained from him. His work in this hell hole was done and was finally free. Laughter bubbled up out of the man, but was soon quashed by feelings of regret and shame. He regretted taking on the ink machine project for this stubborn controlling client even though it was very well paying. He was ashamed of his hand in creating two infant toons that were reduced sadly to one. He could only hope in the back of his mind that Bendy will not meet the same fate as his experimental predecessor. 

Thoughts warred against themselves in Tom's mind, but he was done with this place. He removed himself from his momentary resting place and turned to face the control panel. His hands glided across the levers and vales turning them to shut the machine down as it was not needed for the remainder of the day. With the machine put to bed, Tom slowly wandered down the halls taking in the sights one last time. He knew he wouldn't miss this place at all. The stench of ink that permeated the air nearly giving anyone who entered the building a gag reflex. The constant drips from pipe bursts and the occasional flooding of the halls. Oh yeah he would not miss those days. It was all Wally's problem now and he frankly didn't care. The young lazy janitor hardly did anything as it was and now he was to man the machine. Heh. Good luck with that. A Smile crept across Tom's lips as he could easily picture Wally pitching a fit over the smallest of spills, heaven forbid the boy had to work.

Tom drifted down the halls to his work station rummaging through papers and boxes. He piled all the papers into a box carefully examining them one by one, weeding out unneeded documents. He found the first draft blueprint of the ink machine and laughed to himself how much the machine had grown and changed. The original ink machine felt quite small in comparison to it's final counterpart. It was hard to believe that such a small machine was so successful and paved the way for the larger one to follow. The weeks mulling over the drafts, the slow process in building the parts and assembling it was all dead and gone. He boxed up the original blueprints and decided to leave a copy of the final version of the machine for Wally just in case the man had to fix something on the machine. 

Tom briefly sat at his former desk looking over the room once everything was packed. This tiny room had served as his office and prison for the past few weeks and now its all over. He slumped in his chair relaxing when a poster caught his attention. It was Bendy's second short titled “Bendy in The Dancing Demon”. Tom didn't really watch the cartoons since he felt he was too old for them but this short left him chuckling watching the little demon's love of dancing. His mind drifted to the living Bendy that Joey took with him. He could only hope that the little demon could live up to the expectations of the crazed man, but something about Bendy didn't feel right. He remembered the first toon that was killed and the little devil felt sweet and gave off a feel of home. He didn't know why, but he felt like he somehow knew the little toon even though it had just been born. Though Bendy felt very different in comparison, like there was something in him that felt unsettling as if you were looking at a monster wearing the guise of a innocent toon.

Tom let out a sigh and looked back at his pile of boxes he had prepared, it's time to leave. He made sure all his tools were packed and put away and with several boxes in hand he left his work station and headed out the studio to his truck. He packed all his things in the back and started the truck to head home. The man completely forgetting the one thing his wife had entrusted him to do.

 

\-----Meanwhile in the Studio-----

 

Joey retreated to his office with Bendy in tow and set the demon down on the couch while he himself sat across, eyeing him critically. The toon was perfectly on model and not a thing out of place, he thought Bendy would be bigger but he was surprisingly small, about the same size as a small child. He was a demon meant for children after all. Bendy laid on the couch sleeping while Joey presumed the toon was exhausted from his birth and went back to his desk to examine paperwork for the theme park that was in the making. He couldn't wait to debut the living toon and relish the in spotlight with his success of the park and studio. Bertrum Piedmont liked to boast about how the park is his ticket to grandeur, oh no silly fool, he is merely a stepping stone on his own path to glory. Joey's thoughts were ground to a halt when heard stirring within the room, he looked up from his paperwork to see Bendy sitting up on the couch looking around the room.  
“Finally awake I see.” Joey's words catching the toon's attention. 

Bendy looked over at the older man and gave a smile “Hi-ya!” he waved at the man. “mah name's Bendy. What's yours?”

Joey's eyes were wide as he was taken back by the toon's voice dropping his paperwork. Bendy had never spoken in any of their shorts and it was largely up for debate as to how the toon would sound when finally given a speaking role. He didn't expect Bendy to speak at all, just the cute little wheezing like laughter everyone was familiar with. If anything he found his voice very alarming. The toon sounded similar to Henry when he was a much younger man, a boy in fact. The days he and Henry spent running around as children with him trying to keep Henry in line since the man was quite the devil as a child. 

“where am I?” Bendy's voice snapping Joey's train of thought.

Joey straitened up trying to gauge the demon. “We are in my office, and I'm Joey Drew. Director of this studio.” 

“Ooh” Bendy let out a small whistle as he looked around the room. “What's a studio?”

“A studio is where a form of art is made, be it drawings, music or film. This studio makes cartoons, your cartoons.” Joey gestured to a Bendy cutout in the corner of his office.

“Mah cartoons?” Bendy tilted his head in confusion looking at the cutout. He didn't understand what this director guy was going on about. All he knew was that he was in a room decorated in strange objects and a large paper copy of himself in a corner. “Why do ya have a paper drawing of me? Do ya like me that much?” 

“It's not a matter of like Bendy. You're the star of our show, children love your cartoons on the big screen. You draw in crowds of people to see you and your friends Boris and Alice.” Joey leaned back in his chair.

“But I've never been on a show, whatever a show is. Plus I don' know who Boris an Alice are.” Bendy looked at him confused. Bendy knew he didn't have too many memories and this guy was eluding to things and people he doesn't remember.

Joey's eyes widened slightly. Bendy had no form of recollection of being the character he is supposed to be, let alone his partner toons Boris and Alice. This toon before him looks like Bendy but acts completely different from the Bendy on the screen and on paper. Why is that? They used everything that made Bendy who he is and yet his personality is different. Did something go wrong? Was there something mixed in that changed something in Bendy?

Joey sat still staring at Bendy who had resumed looking around the room now that the man was stunned into silence. The toon attention now captured by a gramophone against the wall next to Joey's desk. Bendy carefully circled around the device looking over the equipment with immense fascination. He gently rest his fingers on the level and it lowered making a grumbling sound from the pavilion and the turntable spun slightly. A little light bulb appeared over the toon's head and he grabbed the crank and spun it around several times rapidly. The gramophone grumbled initially but soon swayed to life playing music from the Bendy show.

Joey watched as Bendy's head slowly start to bob to the beat of the shows music that was being played on his gramophone, the toon clearly content with himself. After a minute Bendy stated to actually dance to the beat of the music, he was the dancing demon after all. Joey all the while was too stunned to say anything and merely watched the dancing devil.

“I like the music Mr.” Bendy chirped as he happily tap danced to the music. “ I don't know where it's from but I like it.”

His dance moves were exactly like the show but wrong. They were fluid and cleaner then any animator could possibly draw. He easily dipped in and out dance moves, he even did a small twirl at one point, but his head didn't spin with his body but rather floated there following his body's movements. Joey watched in growing disdain. Bendy was wrong, he's speaking when he shouldn't and he is dancing when there is no need to do such action. He is supposed to know his toon friends and know the music to his own show. Why doesn't he know anything that makes him, him?

A little chime sounded through the room as the clock on the wall sounded off the evening hours instantly catching the toon's attention. Bendy stopped dancing and hopped up on the couch to get a better look at the clock. “Oooh what's that?” the toon pointing up at the clock. 

“A clock.” Joey grumbled out starting to rub his temples.

Bendy started up at the clock in amazement at the little bird that popped in and out before hopping off the couch and climbing onto a short shelf near a wall of photos beneath the clock. The toon was fascinated by all the photos of various people and figures upon the wall. The clattering around of the energetic toon rapidly getting on Joey's nerves. The director remembered Bendy is a bit of a energetic character, but never this energetic. Why is everything going wrong with Bendy?

“Hey!” Bendy's voice causing the frustrated director to look up. “Is that Henry?” Bendy pointed at a photo of two young men both standing before the studio each man wearing an ear to ear grin. He pointed at the younger chestnut haired man whom was shorter of the two. The man wore a simple black suit and a white bow tie while holding handful of papers and an inkwell with a pen sticking out of it. It was the day the studio opened, a day Joey remembered all too well. He and Henry had pooled what little money they had between them to buy the older building that was slated to be torn down. Both were excited to finally have a studio of their own even if it wasn't much and they only had two staffers at the time, Norman and Sammy. Joey had begged Sammy to join them in creating music since the man had a high level of talent but no place to truly shine, promising him the position of musical director. Norman was a rare find and one that he was more then happy to acquire. The man being dark skinned had gotten him some rough treatment in his home state, but on this side of the country his skin color didn't matter. Norman knew his profession exceedingly well and was a diligent worker. Naught but 2 weeks into the studio's opening and the small staff Joey had acquired and continuously added, Henry had come up to him with the little cartoon devil and it proved to be their ticket to fame. The devil was a instant hit with children.

Joey rose from his chair, his anger starting to boil over. “How do you know Henry?” he stomped up to the oblivious toon. Bendy shouldn't know Henry, the man was not present for the toon's creation, he was. Henry only drew the toon and he, Joey Drew owns the rights.

Bendy placed a finger on his chin in thought “Hmm, Dunno. All I do know is Henry is mah creator.” He beamed up the now outraged studio director, an action he regretted when Joey was now looming over the toon.

“Henry has nothing to do with you. You are my toon from my Studio” Joey growled. Bendy quivered under the man's frigid glare.

“B-But, H-Henry-” Bendy stuttered out, ink dripping from the side of his head.

“Henry is gone! I own you!” Joey bellowed out, his patience with the toon at its end. “You could never know Henry cause he isn't here!” 

Bendy mustered up the little courage he had to face the enraged man “I-I do know Henry! His blood, sweat 'n tears are in mah ink!” he emphasized his point by placing his hand over his chest where his heart would be. “He is mah creator, not you!”

Joey had enough of the toon, He reached out and grabbed Bendy by his sides pinning his arms and lifted the toon up. The toon screamed and struggled in the mans grasp kicking Joey in his leg during his struggle sending the man toppling. With his grip loosened on the toon, Bendy wiggled out of the mans grasp and ran for the door trying desperately to open it. His cries for help and for someone, anyone to help him fell silent on the long halls of the studio void of any and all staff. While Bendy was trying to open the locks on the door his gloved fingers too large to open the small locks properly, he failed to realize that Joey had regained his composure and brandished his cane. With one swift and heavy swing Joey struck Bendy on the back of the head knocking the toon out cold, his body crumbling to the ground.

Joey stood over the toon with labored breath. This isn't Bendy, it looks like Bendy but it acts like Henry. Bendy is supposed to be Bendy and not have traits from his creator. He is supposed to have a whistling like sound not a voice. He is supposed to be the little devil darling and dancing demon that had many little misadventures and never seems to get his way. He's supposed to make the crowd pity him, not stand up for himself. Something went wrong.

Joey grabbed Bendy's unconscious body and held him under his arm as he hastily made his way out his office and to the elevator. Joey's mind racing with all the work and time spent on the toon in his arms, he needed the toon out of the way and to try and figure out what went wrong. There must be a way to fix Bendy, to make him proper. The elevator gate creaked open and joey rushed inside pressing the button for the lowest possible level in the studio. The gates closed with a groan and the mechanism slowly made it's way down to the depths of the studio. Joey spent the ride staring out through the gates of the elevator as it passed each level of the studio, the floors steadily getting darker and darker the further they went. When the elevator finally stopped Joey stormed out and twisted and turned his way downs halls and unfinished corridors heading even further down. As he made his decent he caught the occasional glimpse of the shaft that the ink machine was suspended over and all he had to do was follow it.  
When Joey finally reached the true bottom of the studio the place was cold, dark and damp, ink oozed out of the walls in small streams forming a vast river. The GENT team was shocked upon the caverns discovery and Joey urged them to use it to store the ink for the machine rather then to use holding containers. Why not use mother natures natural well to hold the ink. The director tossed Bendy's unconscious body onto one of the small paddle boats that GENT made to transport cargo. With a small turn of the motor the paddle wheel creaked to life sending them down the river. The man grew frustrated as the boat kept constantly getting clogged by clumps of ink, as if the ink itself was protesting him. He had to constantly stop to use his cane to clear the ink all the while making sure Bendy was still unconscious. This was by no sense of the word Joey's preferred route of reaching the depths of the studio but if he took the normal halls and stairwells he ran the risk of being seen, even if the staff was off for the day there was always the chance of a lingering employee.

The tunnel of ink finally opened up to a larger cavern which signaled they were at the true heart of the studio. Joey steered the boat to the small dock that had been made and grabbed his prisoner and entered the cavern coming to the door built within its walls. The area had not been finished yet but it had been planned to move the Administration offices further down and for the moment it was merely empty halls and offices yet to be filled by new staff. The stairwells leading downwards were completed but not in full use except the film team and maintenance crews. The pride and joy of the converted cavern besides saving costs of digging was the amount of space to house the new Vault room and heart of the ink machine. Other studios had fancy vault rooms that needed constant supervision, but Joey Drew studios had a cavern buried beneath the studio. What better place to store the films then under ground where they will be protected from the harsh weather and away from prying eyes. A perfect place to hide Bendy until he was perfected.

Joey reached the small hallway leading to the vault room and unlocked the door entering the space that housed the massive vault door. The door was a sight to behold, standing at 12 feet in diameter and several feet thick. No one could open such a door easily. Joey turned the wheel on the door unlocking it bolt by bolt, the creaks and groans of the vault door opening causing the demon in his arms to slowly stir. Joey realizing his captive was slowly waking, he quickly entered the vault room and hurried to the small doors nestled towards the back right side of the chamber. The only path to the heart of the ink machine. Joey wasted no time walking down the hallways that wound around and ultimately bellied out to another section of the cavern that housed the ink lake that was the well for the machine. 

Bendy slowly stirred and once he regained his focus and realized he was somewhere different, he immediately squirmed and screamed in Joeys grasp trying to break free from the mad director. Growing tired of Bendy's pleas for Joey to release him and his frantic screams, Joey submerged the toons head under the ink to silence him. He had enough of Bendy's voice and wished to no longer hear it. The toon violently thrashing and fighting to breathe, doing his best to punch, kick or do anything to make Joey let him go. The only thoughts through Bendy's mind were 'what did I do to deserve this? Please someone anyone, help me!' Joey was unflinching as he held the toons head down watching air bubbles slowly form in the ink as Bendy was loosing air. Slowly Bendy's body grew weaker and more limp and Joey lifted the toon's head back up so he wouldn't kill him by accident. Bendy's consciousness slowly fading again as a small wish crossed his mind 'Henry, help me', after that the toon's world went black. 

Joey watched the toon's strength fade and he once again slipped into unconsciousness. He tucked the demon under his arm securely and slowly waded into the ebony moat leading to the chamber housing the heart of the machine. His progress across was slow as if the ink was grabbing onto him and trying to pull him down, his only saving grace was that the fluid was not any deeper and he at least had his cane to steady himself. Joey glanced up at the heart of the machine. It looked like a far larger version of the machine that rested on the upper floors. The ink machine above made people stare and gawk at it's intimidating size, if they only saw the one below. The heart called 'the belly of the beast' by most of the GENT team including Tom had a large circular room surrounded by large silver screens meant to show case the darling devil shorts. The room had been designed to not only create the living toons but to showcase to investors the art of the studio and it's toons. This central room was like a throne room to the empire that was to be known as Joey Drew Studios, now it will serve as a prison cell until he is able to figure out what went wrong with Bendy and fix him.

Joey set Bendy down in the chair knowing full well the toon would not be moving anytime soon and used the levers and valves to lower some of the excess chains that were suspended from the ceiling. To his dismay he had no way of trying the chains off until a small pile of clasps in the corner of the room caught his attention. He hobbled over to the pile and dug within them to seek out his desired sizes and managed to secure 2 that would fit his needs. With cane and clasps in hand, he hobbled back to the loops of chain he left on the floor before the chair that housed Bendy. He grabbed the chains and attached 2 clasps to them and tightened the clasps around Bendy's wrists securing the demon. He wrapped the excess chain around Bendy's stomach to prevent him from getting out of the chair. Once he was sure that all the chains were in place Joey headed back to the levers and valves lifting the excess chain off the floor causing the chains around Bendy's stomach to tighten and the chains holding his arms to pull them up suspending his arms in the air. Bendy the Dancing Demon was now secured in the heart of the machine, and there he will remain. Joey brushed off some of the excess ink that stubbornly clung to him taking once last glance at the imprisoned toon, he huffed and slowly left the room closing the door behind him. 

Joey seethed his entire trip to the upper levels, glaring holes in all the departments and floors as he climbed one by one. He finally reached his office and roughly sat at his chair exhausted from restraining Bendy and making the trip to the lower levels. The man's thoughts burned with rage about why everything seemed to be going wrong in his life. His studio that he founded with Henry that was now solely his since Henry abandoned him. He owns the toons and that now one was brought to life and questioned his ownership. It's his studio for gods sake, not Henry's. He worked himself to the bone to make the place what it is, he crawled atop mountains of people to achieve that which could not be achieved. It is his right to stand on top for all that he did to get this far, so why is everything he built falling apart now? Henry was the one that abandoned him, his toons, everything. Yet Bendy' was insistent on following his creator, a man he never met and held a high level of confidence in.  
Joey looked over at his phone on the edge of his desk and reached out gently pulling the device to him to make a call. He lifted the earpiece off the receiver and spun the rotary dial around a few times and waited for the line to be picked up.

“Operator? Operator?” Joey patiently waited on the line and soon heard the sounds of the line being picked up.

“Yes?” A woman's voice sounded through the ear piece.

“Yes, I'd like to place a call to the GENT Corporation the customer service branch.”

“Yes sir, one moment please” Joey heard the line cut as he waiting to be patched through.

The line buzzed for a brief moment before it came to life with a man's voice on the end. “GENT Corporation customer service how can I help you today?”

Joey schooled his hair back as he leaned against the phone “Yes my name is Joey Drew and I'd like to put in a complaint about one of your staff members.”

“I'm sorry to hear about the inconvenience sir, let me jot down the information and we will handle the problem to the best of our ability.”

The man's words were music to Joey's ears. Tom thought he could bite joey like a dog biting it's owner and leave a job half done. No. His job wasn't done and he will see it through even if he had to be forced to stay within the studio and never allowed to leave. “Yes. I'd like to file a complaint about the lead engineer and worker assigned to a requested project by the name of Thomas Connor. He had been working on a project at my studio by the name of Joey Drew Studios and not only did he not finish the project requested but he has been delaying the project repeatedly and has now walked out on it. He claimed that we were not paying him enough for his expertise despite being handsomely paid. I'd like for him to at least come back and finish the project if it were at all possible.”

Joey could heard the sounds of scratching as the man was writing down his words .“Certainly sir. I will put in the complaint with my higher ups and Mr. Connor will be dealt with accordingly.” The man responded. “I apologize for any inconvenience. Will that be all?”

“Yes sir, thank you for your help.” Joey grinned maniacally while lightly tapping his fingers on the side of the phone's body.

“No problem, have a nice day.” With parting words the line was cut ending the call.

Joey leaned forward gently placing the ear piece back on it's receiving hook before leaning back in his chair. His grin stretched wider and wider nearly rivaling the Bendy cutout in the corner of his office before he broke into a full raucous laughter. The mans voice echoing off walls of the room as he laughed at his actions, Tom will pay for his actions and perfect the machine, he now has no escape since he will loose his job if he doesn't comply. If you want to hurt someone hurt them where it hurts the most, the wallet. Joey was well aware of Allison's income and as a woman she doesn't make nearly as much as her male counterparts. Tom's income more then made up for the difference especially with him being an engineer which was already a high paying occupation. The couple will struggle if Tom's income is cut short and the only way to make a living was to stay. There is no place to run no hide, the machine will be finished or else their livelihood will be finished. 

Joey slowly composed himself after his laughing fit and carefully started to gather up the remaining paperwork of the day. He opened up his drawer to grab his black book when he realized it was missing. He chuckled to himself he forgot that he was using it as one of the 6 sacrifices 'the machine is not operating at the moment so it doesn't need the book' he thought to himself while he packed the last few papers in his briefcase. He lifted himself from the desk and with cane and case in hand slowly heading out his office locking the door behind him. Joey drifted down the silent halls looking at the posters of Bendy and his friends, he vowed that the toons will be perfect no matter what. The man rounded corners till he finally reached the sacrifice room, all 6 sacrifices still sitting where Tom had left them.

Joey gingerly took his book from the pedestal causing the platform to lift back up in it's original position. He looked the book over and turned around ready to leave when something caught his eye. He looked at the pedestal directly across from his and saw the little Bendy doll sacrifice. He walked up to the doll scowling a it. It reminded him too much of the doll turned toon that escaped and is running loose in his studio. Though seeing a doll up close gave him pause, how could an object with no solid connection to Bendy say for only appearance produce a living toon? There was no reels, no sketches, no drawings or any other memorabilia used, only a doll, yet it was somehow alive just like Bendy. It was as off model as they get and while Bendy was on model in appearance he was as off model as his predecessor. This was going to be something that warranted an explanation from the failure of a mechanic. With a precise swing Joey knocked the doll off it's stand sending it flying across the room striking the wall, the little doll make a pitiful squeak upon impact and lay on the floor facing the frustrated man. Joey shot one final glare at the doll before pocketing his book, turning on his heel and leaving.

 

\-----------Later at the Connor's---------------

 

Allison practically danced around her home, she couldn't wait for her husband to come home with Benny in tow. Her mind joyously going over potential introduction scenarios a mile a minute, she had even gone out of her way to cook enough for 4 people. Allison stood at the edge of her table triumphantly taking in the sight of the feast she carefully labored over, a small turkey sat in the center of the table surrounded by plates of greens, mashed potatoes and a small gravy bowl. She had even gone out to the garage and pulled out a spare fold out chair she hid on the side of the stove out of sight. Her heart beat faster when he heard the familiar sound of tires coming up the little driveway and coming to a stop. Allison all but ran to her front door throwing it open. Her smile bright and arms up at the ready to catch the little ball of energy known as Benny as he would immediately attach himself to her upon sight. However the sight she saw made her arms fall limp to her sides and her smile faded.

Tom limped out of his truck like a whipped dog completely coated in ink, his body slumped from exhaustion as he exited the vehicle. He shot her a small smile before he walked to the passenger side opening up the door and grabbed the boxes and pulling them out. He nudged the door closed and made his way up the walkway to the house. Allison silently watched him all the while, she wanted to ask him where her 'doll' was and she hoped he was inside one of the boxes that were in Tom's arms. She nudged the door open for him so he could come inside and Tom gently kissed her as he walked by before he set his keys down on the little nightstand by the door. She closed the door once he was inside and turned to watch the man take the pile of boxes to his office. She carefully followed him stopping at the doorway of the room watching him open up all the boxes and putting papers away.

One by one Tom opened up the boxes and bit by bit Allison's heart broke, Benny was in none of the boxes. She could feel her heart beating faster with dread the more he moved around with no toon in tow. Allison spun on her heel and walked as fast as she could down the hall to keep Tom from hearing her running. She snatched Tom's truck keys off the little stand before heading to his truck, her hand was shaking as she tried to unlock the door. She grabbed her hand with the other to steady herself and unlocked the door crawling in the side of the vehicle. 

“Benny? Benny?!” She cried out hoping to get the toon's attention, nearly turning the truck inside out as she lifted the seats and dug through boxes and bags of tools. She hoped that she would magically lift a box or bag and the toon would launch himself at her and everything would perfect. Allison bit back her tears as her pace of rummaging the boxes slowed as grim reality set in. Benny wasn't here. Tom forgot. The dam of hope she tried to build shattered, tears poured from her eyes as sorrow overtook her.

Tom finished putting away the last of his things when he turned to look for Allison. He drifted through the house looking around in the living room and then to the kitchen. He paused at the table covered in what looked like a mini Thanksgiving feast. Was this all for him? Was it because he's finally done with the ink machine project and Allison was rewarding him? A smile crept up on his face, he couldn't believe that she would go through so much effort for him when these past two weeks he was hardly home and got to spend so little time with her. What did he do to deserve such a wonderful woman, when he hasn't been able to reciprocate the gesture?

“Allison?” Tom called out looking around the house. 'I could have sworn I saw her earlier. Where did she go?' he thought to himself as he checked all the rooms. He passed by the front door and saw that the screen door was closed but the front door itself was open and a figure sat on the porch. “Allison?”

Tom carefully stepped out the door to see Allison curled up on the porch. She had her back turned to him and her face buried in her arms. “Sweetie?” He gently rest his hand on her shoulder.

Allison looked up at Tom her cheeks red and her eyes puffy from crying, the sight before him nearly broke his heart. He rarely saw Allison cry and it was something he didn't like to see. “What's wrong?” Tom gently scooted her over sitting next to her and slowly rubbed her back gaining a few more sobs from her. He pulled her towards him gently and rest his head on hers.

“He-He wasn't brought home.” Allison whimpered out, her voice low. Her body shook as she was holding back her tears and her building anger.

Tom barely heard her and tilted his head in confusion. “Brought home?” He felt that he was forgetting something but couldn't place it.

“The doll.” 

Tom paused in thought. “The doll?” Tom didn't remember any dolls.

“You didn't bring him home.” Allison's voice returning stronger, she scooted out of the mans embrace to put distance between herself and him.

“Umm what doll?” Tom paused trying to think “What exactly are you going on about?” 

Allison looked up at her husband anger all over her face. “The Bendy plush toy Tom, the one you promised to bring home! Now's hes stuck there all alone!” Allison nearly shouted at the top of her lungs. She was outraged. How could Tom forget the one little thing she had asked of him? All their plans and scrambling trying to get Benny out was set aside cause Tom said he would bring him home. If she knew the man was going to forget then she wouldn't have relied on him with such an important task.

Tom flinched away from her, he had never seen her so angry so suddenly. His mind drifted back to the other day during the lunch spent together when he held a little Bendy plush that was gifted to Allison. “You mean the Bendy plush you got from a coworker? I'm sure they'll be another chance to sneak the toy out.” He tried to reassure her gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

“That's not how he'll see it.” Allison bitterly uttered before she brushed off Tom's hand off her shoulder and got up leaving him sitting outside the house.

Tom quietly sat on the porch completely baffled by Allison's swirl of emotions she threw at him. One minute she is upset and crying and the next she looks like she wants to hurt him. He didn't get it. Yeah he knew the toy was a gift but why would it get her so upset that he forgot? It's not like it was a big deal if he forgot the thing today, besides Allison still works at the studio she would have plenty of opportunities to sneak the doll out. Tom folded his hands and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared out into the evening sky. Tomorrow he will get to report back to GENT headquarters and seek out another job and hopefully one that didn't give him as many Grey hairs as the previous one. His thoughts broken by the sound of the telephone in the kitchen.

Tom sighed and got up to head back into house, he sauntered through the kitchen to the corner where the phone was loudly ringing. He leaned against the wall and picked up the earpiece off the receiver. “Hello? Thomas Connor speaking.”

“Ah, Good evening Mr. Connor. I am a representative from GENT headquarters. I have regrettably received a complaint from your previous employer about failure to complete a contract.” Tom's eye's widened upon hearing the mans voice commenting about 'failure to complete a contract' there was only one person that fits that role and that was Joey Drew. “You are to return to your previous employer and finish the work assigned. If you refuse to do so, then there will be repercussions by means of a pay cut or even termination.”

Tom froze holding the earpiece to his ear, his hand gripped the side of the phone box. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anger building up rapidly within the man, how dare Joey screw with him. That pathetic excuse of a studio director got what he wanted and yet he is still not satisfied. Tom's voice was low and dripped with venom as he politely thanked the GENT rep and hung up the phone. He wanted nothing more then to break something and that pleasure would be reserved for Joey's neck.

Tom turned to see the table piled high with food and let out a long sigh. 'guess the celebration of finishing the stupid machine will have to wait' he thought to himself. He grabbed a plate and started to set up a portion for himself when he noted that Allison was no where to be found. Again. He got up from the table and walked into the living room to see her on the couch fast asleep. Tom ran his fingers down the sides of his face. He didn't know how to explain it but watching her little outburst over a toy was baffling and it felt like she was avoiding him now. He didn't understand it, how could a little toy be so important? Yeah sure it was a gift from a grateful staffer, but it can't be important enough to warrant such and outburst. Tom grabbed a spare blanket from the linen closet and covered Allison up for the night deciding to let her rest and hopefully she would have calmed down by morning.

Tom headed back to the kitchen and the plate of food he made up for himself suddenly didn't look so appealing, but he knew his body needed it. He grabbed a chair and sat down quietly eating the now cold meal. He appreciated his wife's gesture with the meal but she didn't have to go so far for him, he would have been happy with just a small 'congratulations' and a make one of her famous cookies but not a full course meal. He silently thanked her for her efforts and once he was done eating he carefully packed the items in containers and placed them in the refrigerator. Tom washed up the dishes, putting them away and started cleaning around the table when a fold up chair on the side of the stove caught his attention. He lifted his brow as he pulled the chair out confused as to why it had been taken out of the garage, but decided to leave it alone and slid it back in it's hiding place. 

The kitchen had been restored to order and Tom sighed looking at the sleeping figure in the living room letting out a soft sigh, 'I'll talk to her in the morning'. He turned the lights off one by one and lightly kissed Allison on the forehead before he drifted to his own room to get some much needed rest. Little did he know Allison was awake and she sat up to look at the empty hallway her husband had traveled down. She knew the man was worn and beat but the thoughts of Benny not being home where he belonged and the fact that a promise had been broken had cut into her deeply. She laid her head back down as the tears once again welled up in her eyes. She had no clue what to say to Benny in the morning, and could only hope that he wouldn't take the forgotten promise too hard.

 

\------------Meanwhile At The Studio-------------------

 

A Small figure sat a top a lonely throne bound by chains, the chains were as heavy as his heart. Large black tears poured from Bendy's eyes he spent hours screaming, crying and trying to free himself from his cold prison only to find that he can't move and that no one was coming for him. His inky skin was covered in bruises and cuts from his struggling within the chains, each desperate twist and turn of his body resulted in more pain till he couldn't take it anymore and lay limply on the chair. He didn't understand, what did he do wrong? What did he do to deserve such treatment? Bendy wept resigned to his fate to be left in a place where it was dark and cold, a place for him to rot away and be forgotten.

A separate figure sat inside a crate on the bottom of a shelf curled up into a tight ball. Large tears poured from Benny's eyes and he had come to the realization that he had been left behind. He sat on Allison's desk for hours out in the open keeping a ever watchful eye on her door hoping to see Tom come in and take him home. He wanted nothing more to see the man's smiling face as he scooped him up and took him out of the studio, to be welcomed by Allison in his new home. That wasn't going to happen, Tom broke his promise. The only chance to get out and it was gone. Benny wept resigned to his fate to be stuck in a place where if he is ever found he will be killed, and that Allison's protection was not guaranteed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you all got your healthy dose of pain. Please don't come after me with pitchforks cause I know quite a few of you (not naming names) have a "Protect the Bean" team, and don't want to see him cry.


	6. A Little Light Went Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lack of trust and creation of secrets may finally come to light, the truth bearing heavy chains dragging down those responsible. How much weight can one carry before their wall of strength finally crumbles, or will they rise up and fight back? The little light in their lives is gone, the shadow created bringing forth the question of if life is an illusion or something that needs fixing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this one took quite a bit to work out, but nevertheless I hope you all enjoy the AU thus far and I will warn you, there may be a part or two that might be viewed as 'offensive' do keep in mind that some of the descriptions are period correct but followed loosely. The other part might be a bit graphic (depending on how squeamish you are) but for the most part kept PG13.
> 
> Now on with the show~

Silence was the only bed fellow of the studio and the facility had yet to wake and open it's arms to welcome it's staff to start the day's operations, yet a lone figure drifted within it's sleeping halls coming to a stop at one it's many hallway doors. The person jiggled the handle to the doorway several times growing frustrated that the room had been locked and disturbed a sleeping occupant within.

Benny looked up from his crate to hear the jiggling of the handle to the room, but it didn't sound like the normal sounds of Allison or Norman opening up the door upon arriving. The way the door knob violently shock and rattled sounded like whomever was outside was struggling with the key. With small hope that Tom had returned, Benny gingerly hopped back up on top of the desk and laid against the wall keeping a hopeful watch on the door, his grin wide. He truly hoped that Tom simply forgot that he was supposed to bring him home yesterday and had returned in the morning to fetch him. Benny quickly gave himself a once over making sure he looked his best before he resumed his watch on the door. His smile faded and was replaced with confusion when the jiggling on the handle continued for quite sometime, it shouldn't take this long to open a door. Right? His face morphed into one of anger when he heard a feminine voice uttering small curses as she struggled with the door. This wasn't Alison, it sounded like that woman Susie that Norman had warned him about. He slipped off the desk and quietly crossed the room to a corner hiding within the shadow of the shelving out of the doors line of sight. Small growls escaped the toon, he didn't like this woman at all, and if he needed to he would defend himself. The stitching on his stomach slowly came undone as small white protrusions lined the rim resembling small teeth and the void opened slightly. His teeth took on a slight triangular appearance and the tips of his gloved hands had small protrusions on the ends resembling small claws. This was not his angel.

Susie cursed her rotten luck that Allison locked her dressing room, figures that the woman would lock a room that she felt didn't belong to her. Frustrated at the inability to open the door she wandered down the hall towards Wally's janitorial closet. The man always had random junk stashed in his closet and despite his large ring of keys he could never seem to lock his own closet. She tested the closets door nob and to her pleasure it was unlocked. She gingerly opened the door and dug around the closet till she found a fireman's ax, not sure what the man needed it for, but it would suit her needs just fine. With weapon in hand she nearly skipped with glee back to Allison's dressing room. 'Oh I'm gonna love this' Susie chuckled to herself as she gently ran her fingers along the edge of the tools blade with tender love. She raised the weapon high above her head and brought it down harshly upon the the base of the door's handle.

The rattling of the door had fallen silent for a time and Benny hoped that the woman had given up and gone home, but that hope was dashed by a loud banging against the door. She was trying to break in! Benny scooted back further into the corner within the shadows preparing to pounce if he needed to. This was his room that belonged to Allison, not this woman. He stilled as he listened to the door cry from the blows being done to it and heard fragments of it break away. He didn't have to wait long as the door let out a crack for the last time and slowly swung open. Benny's bravado instantly died and was replaced by fear by her silhouette. The woman stood within the doorway with the dull yellow light behind her, now why she herself wasn't particularly frightening it was her weapon of choice that glistened in the dull light. An ax. The toon made a small whisper of a whimper at the weapon while gently grasping onto his stomach which was rapidly sealing itself back up, he remembered all to well what damage a weapon like could do. The only thoughts that raced through his mind was that he had been somehow found out and needed to escape.

Susie scowled as she looked over the room, it wasn't anything impressive, nor special. It was just an old office that had a long mirror installed and a desk, nothing more and nothing less. Well perhaps if the room was trashed a little then maybe Allison would get scared and leave. After all her husband is only a contractor for Joey and therefore isn't part of the official roster for the staff, he's isn't an obstacle like she is. How dare that woman take away her claim to fame. Susie bitterly remembered all the previous roles she had of voicing everything from objects to chickens, all roles that were either demeaning or lack luster. This new role of Alice Angel, that was her ticket to fame and it righteously belonged to her. She worked hard to get where she was and they didn't have the right to take Alice away from her, she was Alice Angel not Allison. She couldn't wait till she finally got a proper meeting with Joey, that blasted man had been ducking and dodging her for a little over a week now. He will hear her opinion on the matter cause after all Alice doesn't like people who lie to her. Susie took one last loving look at the ax in her hand before she strode across the room and slammed the blade into the mirror shattering it, the glass falling to the floor like a silvery waterfall.

Benny could only watch in horror as Susie proceeded to bury the weapon into the remains of the mirror laughing manically as she worked, a joyous, twisted grin splitting her face. Once the mirror was nothing more then shards of glass upon the floor and the wall boards broken she turned her attention to desk itself taking it apart board by board. The chair had been upended and the back and seat completely broken and splintered. While she was decimating the opposite of the room Benny glanced at the open doorway and then back at Susie destroying the room. He didn't want to leave, but he feared that if he stayed he too would be taken apart like all the other inanimate objects within the room. Taking that last glance and ensuring that Susie had yet to turn her attention to his hiding spot he mustered up his courage and fled the room he once called his own, his last thoughts were that he would 'find his angel' before he disappeared down the dark halls of the studio.

 

\------------ An hour Later at the Connor's --------------

 

The sounds of creaking bones and groans of a worn out man drifted through the house as Tom slowly got out of bed. He felt like he had slept, but at the same time didn't. His sleep had been fitful with his thoughts drifting to Allison's previous outburst and how she had avoided him thereafter. He didn't know why such a small thing as a toy was so important to her, but the least he could do was to try and get the toy before the staff showed up at the studio. He grabbed his robe and covered himself up before sliding into his bedroom slippers and slowly groaned into the kitchen, his body fighting him every step of the way. He turned the corner leading into the kitchen fully expecting to see an empty room, but standing at the stove was Allison. His eyes were wide at the mere fact that she was up, let alone up before him. He had grown used to leaving the home long before Allison woke and would only see her during the lunch break and her sleeping face when he got home.

'M-Morning.” Tom dryly choked out. He didn't know what else to say, he could only hope Allison had calmed down.

"Morning” Allison's eyes widened at seeing him, but she briefly smiled back at him before returning her attention to the stove. Tom taking that as a good sign that she was feeling better.

A small glance past Allison revealed the kitchen table covered in various food items. Tom was completely gobsmacked at the amount, it was just like the previous night except it was a mix of breakfast, lunch and dinner. “Umm...Honey? What's with all the food?”

“It's for the band.” Allison replied without skipping a beat. “We were planning a small picnic after recording later today, so I'll be home late.”

“Oh, ok.” Tom's eyes looked over the foods, he eyed some cookies and turned to look at Allison watching her carefully as a hand drifted towards a cookie. His hand didn't get far as Allison turned around and swatted his hand away from the cookie with precision.

“Not for you.” Her stern eyes met his and he took the hint and vamoosed away from the pile of food and sat at the opposite end of the table that wasn't all cluttered.

The man didn't wait long as Allison presented a plate of eggs, bacon and a bagel with cream cheese. Tom uttered a small 'Thank you' while he gingerly accepted the plate and slowly started eating, savoring each and every bite of one of the many things he enjoyed from Allison; her cooking. While he ate he watched her carefully pack all the food items into 2 wicker baskets and stow them away in her day pack before taking up her own breakfast and ate in front of him.

The shared meal was primarily quiet, for Tom feared really trying to ask her about the previous day's event's lest she would get upset at him again. Once they both finished their breakfast Tom offered to wash the dishes to give Allison time to get dressed for work. He watched her disappear down the hall to their bedroom and his mind drifted to the previous day with her outburst. It felt like she wasn't quite giving him the cold shoulder, but it was obvious she wasn't in the mood to talk about it. A long sigh escaped him as he placed the last plate into the dish rack to dry and dried his hands before finally turning to the hallway to the bedroom. He stood in the doorway and noticed that Allison was already dressed and was packing a large coat with her. She looked up at him and smiled briefly before she hefted her pack and coat and walked past him before stopping and gave him a small peck on the cheek whispering 'see you at work'.

Tom stood still as he watched her head out the door before him. He wished they could have both gone together but with the wall that Allison had put up it was perhaps for the best that she goes alone. He ran his fingers down the side of his face before heading to his room to get dressed himself. His mind drifting to the phone call he had received and how that he had no choice but to go back to the accursed hell hole of a facility known as Joey Drew Studios. He never wanted to put a singe toe back in that place, it had done nothing for him except give him a horrid sense of foreboding and hatred. He truly hated Joey with every fiber of his being and wanted nothing more to see the man's downfall, but that pleasure he wanted to see sooner then later. For now Tom had no choice but to swallow the bile of loathing that was building within him and had to report back to his 'former' boss.

The grumpy mechanic retreated to his workroom and retrieved his tool box and drafts, and box by box loaded them into his truck. He pondered over his luggage making sure all was accounted for and sat at the drivers seat glaring holes into the steering wheel. He didn't want to start the truck, he didn't want to drive down the same stretch of road he's taken over and over to get to the studio. He didn't even want to look at the building itself, but against his better judgment he edged the key into the ignition and started the truck with a low grumble. He could only chuckle at the seemingly annoyed groan the truck made and couldn't help but agree with the noise. With the removal of the parking break and the slow release of the break pedal Tom eased out the drive and slowly made his way of the stretch of road towards the studio.

 

\--------- At Joey Drew Studios ----------

 

Tom pulled up in the studio lot to see that Allison's car was already there along with several other vehicle's that he recognized as the other staff members. He sighed and got out of the truck and grabbed his pack and headed for the doors. As soon as he walked in the staff was hustling and bustling as usual but there were many oddly huddled in small groups whispering to each other and the minute they saw him looking at them would either stop talking and look away, or leave all together. He couldn't hide the confusion on his face as he was normally greeted a few of the animation crew members that he had grown friendly with, but even they were avoiding him. What on earth happened? He tried to approach a few to say good morning and the minute they saw him they all scattered like ants. OK. Something was definitely up.

Tom's thoughts were ground to a halt when he spotted a young ball of energy running down one of the hallways, Leonard. Tom hastily hid behind a stack of crates and carefully peaked around the corner. Right when he knew the boy was in range he swiftly raised his arm up and felt something ram into it. The young mans neck and chin caught Tom's upper arm and and elbow letting out a loud yelp as he fell backwards slamming onto the floor with his feet strait up in the air in a almost comical way. After all they always say to never run in the halls for you never know what may come around the corner. The musician groaned from the impact and tried to catch his breath which abandoned him the minute he looked up and saw Tom looming over him. A small squeak escaped the man before Tom grabbed him by the front of his shirt hefting him like a toy and pinning him behind the stack of crates. Only one word that escaped Tom's gritted teeth, 'Talk'.

Leonard was sweating bullets under Toms frigid glare, he didn't know what he did to get the man upset at him this time. He hadn't been playing and 'accidentally' bust any pipes this time, so what had the GENT engineers goat this early in the morning? “M-Morning Thomas. H-How are you this fine morning?” He squeaked to try and lighten the mood giving a shaky grin. Tom pressing him further into the wall served as a strong indicator that the man was by no sense of the word in the mood for small talk.

Tom sharpened his glare and slowly started lifting Leonard off the ground bit by bit. “Talk, what's going on?”

“S-Someone broke into Allison's dressing room and r-ransacked the place, the room was completely busted up by a blunt object and she's crying in the music department. N-Norman's there now t-trying to comfort her along with the band, but she is beyond w-words sir!” Leonard shrieked in the mans grasp.

Tom's eyes went wide at the information and it explained why everyone was dodging him. He dropped Leonard on the floor the young man immediately nestled himself behind the crates to keep Tom from throttling him. Tom turned on his heel ignoring Leonard and dashed down the hall towards the music department. Everyone was a mere blur as the staff quickly got out of the locomotive of a mechanics way for fear of being run over. The man clearly on a mission and was not tolerant of any obstacles, be it a object or a person. Tom saw the familiar sight of the music department logo and a cluster of people all muttering amongst themselves. Heads turned upon heading Tom's thundering footsteps and all hastily cleared a path for the man, some nearly tripping over themselves or each other. The sight before him made him stop in his tracks and his heart ache.

Allison was sitting on a chair absolutely beside herself, large tears streamed down her face as she was curled in on herself. Norman was sitting next to her trying to comfort her the best he could, trying to talk to her while gently rubbing her back with Aaron and Giovanni both talking to Norman in hushed tones. Edgar and Earl were in the corner both wearing a worried and somber expression neither boy approaching the distraught woman. Aaron and Giovanni both looked at Tom and a small scowl graced their faces before they turned to give Allison and her husband some much needed space leaving the room. Earl and Edgar both watched the older men leave and decided to do the same. Norman briefly looked up at the mechanic and he too had a small scowl before returning his attention back to Allison. Tom stayed silent and slowly made his way to his grieving wife, he had never seen her this upset before. The previous day's emotional episode was nothing in comparison to how she was now and a little voice in the back of his mind told him that it is more then just a simple break in and the ransacking of a dressing room, if the strange looks of disappointment from the band members where anything to go by.

Tom just barely opened his mouth to talk to her when Norman looked at him dead in the eye and shook his head telling him 'no', shutting him up immediately. He looked at the projectionist with worried eyes and Norman's stern look didn't budge and the man had no choice but to back down and give his wife some space. The projectionist looked down at Allison then back up and spotted Leonard whom had carefully edged into the hall, he gestured for the man to come over. The young man was confused at first since Norman didn't say anything, but firmly pointed at him and waggled his finger to come over. Not wanting to question the man, Leonard obeyed and Norman got up from his seat and had Leonard replace him in trying to comfort Allison while Norman gestured for Tom to follow him. Tom was confused why Norman didn't want him to talk to his wife, but decided to hear the man out.

Norman rounded the stairs and went up to his projection booth with Thomas in tow, he unlocked the door and motioned for the man to enter and once he did he followed in closing the door behind him and securely locking it. Norman turned around and let out a deep sigh looking up at tom “ Ah take it ya heard 'bout da missus room gettin' wrecked?”

Tom glanced down out the window at his wife and then back at Norman “Yeah I heard, but she can easily get a new room, god knows there are plenty of them here. I don't think she had anything important or valuable in the room.”

Norma's eyes went wide at the gruff mechanics statement. It truly confirmed what Allison managed to choke out in between her sobs 'Tom left Benny behind', and now her room had been destroyed and Benny was nowhere to be found. He pinched the bridge of his nose to keep his own temper from flaring up, but needed to find out how much or how little Tom knew.

“Well th' only thin' she had that would be considered valuable was her Bendy plush, but da little toy's turned up missin'” he leaned against the door studying Tom's body language to try and figure him out.

Tom hung his head in shame “Well that blew that idea.” he scowled and Norman gestured for him to continue. “See yesterday I forgot to bring the stupid little toy home and Allison blew up on me. I understand that the darn thing was a gift, but for her to get so upset baffles me. If she wants one so badly I'm sure I can swindle one out of Shawn easy enough, plus he owes me a favor anyways for fixing the belts in his factory.” he had thrown his hands up in the air as he vented to Norman whom patiently listened. He had no clue why something so simple mattered so much.

Norman simply watched the man rant, it was clear that he had no clue about the true nature of the 'toy' as he called Benny. He let out a sigh making Thomas still after his venting. “How much did she tell ya?” his face very serious which was unusual for the normally relaxed projectionist.

Tom looked at him and rifled through his memories of the past few days and could think of anything significant. “She just asked me to bring home a toy she had gotten as a gift. I know I promised, but it was an honest mistake. There's no reason to have a full blown meltdown.” he scratched the back of his head in frustration.

“That's not how e'll see it.” Norman uttered softly looking at Tom with eyes full of pity and sadness.

“That's twice now I've heard that phrase.” Tom steadily growing frustrated pointing a finger sternly at Norman “what does that mean!?” The man nearly shouting at the top of his lungs throwing his arms up into the air.

Norman waved his hand nonchalantly and looked down at Tom “That lil dolly that Mrs. Allison done asked ya t' bring home was countin' on ya on doin' so. Lil Benny ain't welcomed dis place he was born in, an' I woulda thought you would 'ave known 'bout him considerin' ya done built th' machin' that made 'em. Th' lil toons been hidin' in 'er room waitin' fer ya t' show up and take 'im home.” Norman's words died down as he looked past the mechanic at his grieving wife below. “Now someone don' broke in 'er room an' he ain't no where t' be found. 'Er precious lil one disappeared. We don' even know if 'es alive or dead.” His sorrowful eyes drifted back to Thomas. “She's like a mother who lost 'er child.”

As soon as Norman's words left his mouth Tom felt his throat dry up and a pit formed within his stomach as he processed the man's words. The little toon was alive, the first one that had been made by the prototype ink machine was alive. He was living in Allison's room the entire time under her care while he had to refine the machine to make Bendy. His little body was fabric not ink, that's how he was able to survive the injury Joey had dealt him, the fabric softened the blow. The little one whom gave him a childlike thrill when he looked at a living toon that was responding to his interactions and was so infant like in response. The little light that had been accidentally brought to life and proved the theory was true, and brought nothing but joy upon creation. A light believed to have been snuffed out for not meeting the standard and for simply existing.

Tom lowered his arms and slowly looked at his hands, he remembered the feel of what he assumed was a stuffed animal in his hands that day he had a meltdown in Allison's room while hugging the plush 'Bendy'. The plush toy that felt oddly warm and solid. His mind drifted to that moment. He had been sobbing and after pulling the toy into an embrace someone was gently rubbing his back to try and comfort him, he had assumed it was Allison, but that couldn't be right she was at the bathroom at the time. It was the little 'Bendy', he was trying to comfort him as best he could. How could he have missed it? He held the little toon he thought had been killed by his monstrous boss in his hands and had promised to take him home. Tom's legs nearly gave out on him as the grim reality hit prompting Norman to grab his arm to keep him steady. He broke his promise. He lied to the little toon whom he brought into the world and the little one had been counting on him to get him out.

“I-I broke my promise. I broke my promise to the little toon, I broke my promise to my wife.” Tom's dryly choked as his mind was still trying to process all the things he missed. Allison's need for a bigger bag was for her to transport him around the studio safely. The two wicker baskets, it wasn't food for the band, it was extra food to feed the toon whom had no other food source. The dried ink all over her original bag, it was from his injury and he leaked ink everywhere. Tears started forming at the edges of his eyes and he slowly turned to look Norman in the eye “What have a I done?”

Norman could feel the regret coming of Tom in waves, the severity of what he had failed to do hitting him like a ton of bricks. He pondered over what would be best for the situation and slowly and carefully started to speak. “'Fer starters apologize t' Mrs. Allison. Then try t' find Benny, the lil boy is alone an' scared. You need t' find 'em before someone else does.” he held Tom's shoulders while looking him sternly in the eyes. “Find 'em.”

“B-Benny?” Tom looked at Norman slightly confused as to the name.

Norman chuckled “The lil toon's name is Benny, Mrs. Allison gave 'em the name since it's similar to Bendy but not. The lil boy is 'off-model', I'm sure you'd recognize 'em as soon as ya see 'em. You did make 'em after all.”

Tom nodded his head, he couldn't ever forget how 'off-model' the toon now named 'Benny' was in comparison to his now living counterpart Bendy. He could only hope he could find the little toon in a facility so large. Norman released his shoulders allowing the man to venture back to the window to look down at his wife below. He let out a sigh and turned back towards the door letting himself out and slowly made his way down the stairs. Step by step felt like an eternity as he tried to figure out his wording when he would approach her. He himself felt like his stomach abandoned him the closer he got and wanted to turn away to compose himself, but he needed to be strong for her, and to let her know it will be all right. He will find their little toon and Joey could go strait to hell for all he cared, Benny belonged with them not to that heinous man. Tom stopped briefly at the doorway at the bottom of the stairwell and was met by the Leonard looking at him with worry. He nodded slightly and the young man slowly edged himself away from Allison and Tom gently took his place and pulled Allison closer to himself.

The mechanic looked down at his wife and was thankful she had calmed down. Her sobs were soft as she was pulled into his chest and he rocked back and forth gently. “Honey.” he softly spoke while running his fingers through her hair pulling them away from her face. “Sweetheart.”

Allison slowly looked up at Tom with tired glassy eyes making the man's heart clench, she looked so exhausted and worn out. Tom uttered 3 small words that made her smile slightly and lean into him. 'I'll find him'.

Norman stood in the doorway and watched the couple in silence, it was heartbreaking that the lack of communication can cause such heartache, but at the same time it wasn't like they could freely tell each other what was going on. With Thomas's sense of professionalism and dedication to his job they feared that he would have turned Benny in if he knew he was still alive, or worse try and kill him like Joey had tried. The man was big on logic and reasoning which at times made them wonder if he had a heart under his stern and stiff demeanor. Allison on the other hand was nearly his exact opposite, while she was very much a professional she was far more compassionate about the people around her. It was obvious she loved Benny like he was her own, but because of the fact that Benny was so off-model she feared that her husband's sense of duty to his job would somehow override his sense of compassion for a toon that was 'only an accident'.

Leonard quietly stood in the corner catching Norman's eye and he motioned for the young man to leave for which he needed no encouragement, it seemed he too knew when to give people some much needed space. Once Leonard was gone the projectionist returned his attention back to the couple and smiled. He didn't know what they were saying but he could see the burning determination in Tom's eyes and how Allison had relaxed into him. He didn't know what all happened between Thomas and Benny at the start of it all, but watching the man slowly get up from his seat and leaving a few small words with Allison the look in his eyes said it all. He will find Benny. Tom turned to face Norman briefly and nodded before making a purposeful stride out of the Music department and disappeared down the hallway and up the stairs.

Norman was very much thankful Thomas left when he did, Sammy had arrived a short time after him carrying one of the Bendy cutouts and placed it in the corner of the room along with a small collection of them. It struck him as odd. While Sammy jokingly commented about appeasing Bendy the man only bothered with the film version of the toon if he wasn't swamped with multiple cartoons at once that all needed music by the end of the day. Sammy had eluded that he hated the smile given to the Bendy cutouts and other homages to the toon devil, saying that they were creepy and wrong, but yet here he was openly carrying one of them around.

Once the cutout had been placed Norman watched Sammy walk up to Allison and have a brief chat with her before she was excused to rest in the corner of the room away from the band. 'Huh' Norman thought to himself as he watched the man motioning to the band to enter the department and take their seats while he stood at his podium. 'Looks like he heard 'bout Mrs. Allison's meltdown and is givin' 'er a break to recoup'. He tipped his cap to Sammy and retreated to his projection booth to set up when he saw a figure standing in the doorway of the department. Susie Campbell. The former actress sashayed up to Sammy clearly pouring on the charm, the man seemed neither impressed nor amused by whatever she was saying. He shook his head and uttered a few words to the woman which seemed to outrage her. Norman didn't know what was said but he could see her face morph into pure anger as she was clearly shouting at him and gesturing angrily at Allison, even the Band seemed to withdraw away from the scene. Sammy placed his hands on the former actresses shoulders and spoke for awhile and whatever he said seemed to calm the woman down somewhat. She shot another heated glare at Allison before giving a sweet look to Sammy before leaving the department as quickly as she came. Norman made a mental note to ask Allison what was said later.

Sammy stared at the doorway for a time to make sure Susie had left and let out a long tired sigh. It wasn't his idea to switch out the actresses, he kinda liked Susie, but at times she seemed very hollow and distant. A stark contrast to her normally sassy and confident woman she carried herself as. He didn't know what Joey was doing with all the sudden changes, but in the end he had to admit he liked Allison's voice for Alice Angel better. He could only hope that Allison got over her distress soon since they had to record another song later in the evening. It was a total shock that someone had to audacity to completely trash the young woman's room, and he had a sinking suspicion that it was Susie, but wasn't in the position to openly confront the woman about the matter. Allison was loved by many in the studio and he couldn't think of anyone whom had any grievances with her, say for Susie whom is thoroughly convinced that Allison went out of her way to steal the role of Alice Angel from her. The former actress would be the only one with a solid reason to go after Allison.

'Ah, well.' Sammy thought to himself. 'I'll worry about this nonsense later, but for now I need to get these songs done and to get Joey off my back'. He tapped his baton on the podium catching the bands attention and raised his arms in the air making sure all eyes were on him, once he had confirmation of attention he struck up the band.

While the band was playing and thankfully only rehearsing to familiarize themselves with the sheet music, Norman quietly slipped out of his projection booth after setting up the projectors for the later recordings. He eased down the stairs as to not be a distraction and quietly crept up to Allison whom sat quietly in the corner of the room studying her sheet music. A gentle nudge broke her out of her concentration and she looked up at Norman who whispered 'I'm gonna go look fer 'em for a bit, I'm not needed fer a lil while so I got a moment'. Allison smiled at the man and whispered a small 'good luck'. He tipped his cap and quietly snuck out of the music department stopping at its entrance. Norman took a glance over his shoulder at Allison who never took her eyes off him and at the small glimmer of hope in her eyes. He could only hope to find her little one, and since Benny hid in dark places, the best place to look was below the studio.

The projectionist knew he was one of the few that not only had proper access to the newer sections of the studio being constructed below, but also of the few who knew about it. It was one of Joey's little secrets that was still in the works and since Benny shy-ed from any excessive amounts of noise and people the toon may have accidentally gone deeper into the studio where it was dark and quiet. Norman paced the halls and thought it was funny how he had grown used to constantly bumping into the various GENT staffers whom would be working on something in the studio, but now it was only the main studio staff. It was strange to not have them fluttering about tapping and banging on some extension of the Ink machine or fixing leaks. However none of that mattered now as the Ink machine was completed and now only Tom remained. He felt pity for the man, it was obvious by his earlier actions that Benny meant a lot to the man even if he may not have been with him long. He wish he better knew Tom's side of the story in regards to Benny's creation it would help fill in the gaps to what was really going on behind the scenes of the studio, he could only hope things don't get worse.

Norman set aside his thoughts for now and knew his focus was to try and find Benny. The rehearsals only last for a few hours and he would have to somehow get to the bottom of the studio and back again within that time frame, and could only hope he finds Benny in the process.

\---------Meanwhile----------

Thomas carried a purposeful stride as he hurried down the halls of the studio. There were many places a 3 foot tall living doll could hide, and it wasn't like he can just wander down the halls shouting his name. People would think he was crazy for starters and the toon wasn't supposed to exist so that will put the little one at risk. He stopped at every doorway checking each and every room systematically, he felt ridiculous checking in small crevasses and crates, but the toon was the size of a small child and children can hide in the damnest places. Once Tom was certain the hallway and floor was cleared he turned his attention to the to hallway leading to the stairs for the next level. The man once again resembling an angry locomotive charged down the invisible tracks of the hall to the stairwell when an animator ran up to him shouting his name.

“Mr. Connor! Mr. Connor wait!” The young redheaded man ran up to him clearly out of breath. Tom stopped to hear the young man out, the man grasping his knees trying to catch his breath. “Mr. Drew is demanding to see you. He is raising one hell of a storm in the animation department trying to find you.”

Tom internally scowled, it was just a matter of time before Drew took out his frustrations on the staff in some manner. He let out a long sigh and rest his hand on the tired out animator. “Why don't you go take a break, I'll go deal with Joey. Ok?” The young animator nodded his head and wandered towards the break room with Tom escorting him, and once he was sure the kid was relaxing he steeled himself and turned towards the animation department to seek out the tantrum throwing tyrant.

Tom's trip was by no sense of the word a long one as he neared the animation department he could hear Joey bellowing at the overworked animators. The staff cowering under the dictator director and hurrying their sketches and cells as fast as their hands would allow. The man inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled preparing himself for a tirade and calmly entered the department well within Joeys line of sight smiling calmly at the man.

“Ah, Good morning sir.” Tom sauntered over to the red faced Joey “I heard you wished to see me.” Tom was thoroughly enjoying seeing Joey looking a bit worse for wear.

Joey glared back at Tom with a clear scowl on his face as he stopped looming over a terrified staffer and turned his attention to GENT engineer in full. The older man's clothes looked like they hadn't been ironed and pressed in a week and his hair which was normally slicked back was down and fluffy looking. Joey's normally tall and firm stance was now stooped over as he seemed to be clinging to his cane for dear life rather then making it look like a mere accessory. His eyes were wild and he looked like he was loosing his mind, and clear dark patches were underneath them like he hadn't slept in days.

“My Office. Now.” Joey growled out to the smug mechanic and turned to the department shouting at them to get back to work before he hobbled out of the department and down the hall towards his office with Tom in tow.

Tom watched Joey clearly struggling with walking as the man occasionally pushed off a wall to try and re-balance himself. The last time he saw him he wasn't this bad, it was like the older man was injured or exhausted. Certainly dealing with Bendy for a full day couldn't have taken this much out of the man can it? Sure Joey was always the frail sort, but he couldn't have been this fragile. Speaking of the toon where was he? He fully expected Joey to be proudly parading the little cartoon demon all around the studio boasting about the ink machine's 'great achievement' and how that all the efforts of the staff weren't in vain, but that wouldn't explain why he was forced to come back. Did something go wrong? God he hoped not,cause something about bendy felt a little off. Tom's mind went abuzz with countless possibilities while he followed the man into the office, not noticing the small ink splatters that stained the wall and corner by the door.

Joey slowly hobbled to his desk grasping onto it like it was his life line and edged around it till he was able to reach his chair and pulled it close to himself. He eased his worn body into the chair with a small groan, his joints protesting even the smallest movements and rest his cane on the edge of the desk. He folded his hands together on the desk leaning forward and rest his chin on his hands staring holes in the the still contemplating mechanic. “Now, do you know why I brought you here?” His tone cold and firm as his Grey eyes bore holes into Tom.

Joey's voice reminding the man of another matter, Tom looked up from his thoughts to face the director. “Oh probably you throwing a tantrum about Bendy and the Ink machine, thinking that I somehow screwed up again.” Tom shot back a heated glare. He was by no sense of the word appreciative of being forced to come back to the studio lest he lose his job.

“Precisely!” Joey's sudden shout startling Tom “That damn abomination of a toon doesn't act like Bendy at all!” Joey threw his arms up in the air in rage. “We have never had a voice actor for Bendy and yet that little shit was not only talking, but had the nerve to talk back to me! He didn't recognize the music from his own show and he sure as hell didn't recognize his other toon friends! The way he talks and moves around, he's acting like that pathetic excuse of a animator that left! You screwed up that machine for a second time now and I. Demand. Answers!” Joey slammed his fists down onto the desk at the end of his tirade, his breath coming out hard and labored.

Tom pinched the bridge of his nose taking slow deep breaths to try and school his own temper “Look for as much as you seemingly hate to admit it, he is Bendy. Perhaps maybe not the way you see him, but maybe way his creator saw him. Last I looked you didn't design the toon, you only own him. So maybe, just maybe a bit of how his creator viewed his toon somehow got into the toon upon creation. After all sir what you put in is what you get out-”

“ I don't get what you mean by that! We put in all the reels, cells, sketches and anything we could find of bendy to make him! He should act how he is on the blasted screen, not in the imagination of his maker! ” Joey all but screamed at Tom, the mans eyes wild and filled with anger.

“Its as it means. We put is so much material into the damn machine I was surprised it was able to even handle the intake. What we put in merely provided a mold, it is up to him to fill it. Bendy is still a infant toon barely a day old and you're already pitching fits just like you did with the last one. What is it in your thick skull you don't get? Huh?!” tom waved his arms in annoyed disbelief “We created a mold and empty shell with the machine and the ink and information provided gave him his personality, but he lacks experience with his surrounding cause he has never been in reality. He has to learn what it is to be a living toon and what he is expected to do. We don't even know what all he is capable or incapable of doing cause he is only 1 day old. Why don't you actually spend time with him to get to know him before you condemn him!” Tom's face was flush with anger. This pathetic excuse of a human being had no patience for anything that is still developing. Bendy and Benny both were like children that needed the helping hand of a adult figure to navigate the ways of the world and this man had the gall to think that they would just pop out of a mechanical device 100% perfect with no strings attached. Life doesn't work that way. Everything has a string attached and you have to be willing to sort them out and work with them.

Joey's cold calculating eyes bore holes into Tom, the man had said that the machine was merely a mold maker and it was up to something to fill it? That the toon needed to be taught? Fine, he'll play this little game. For now. “Fine I'll do that, I'll give the toon a chance and try to teach him how he is supposed to behave. For now I want you to return to the machine and make sure everything is in working order Mr. Connor then go back to maintaining it's workings with Wally.” He waved a hand towards the door “You're dismissed.”

Tom scowled not budging an inch. “Where's Bendy?”

Joey grinned “He's fine and is in my care. You have nothing to worry about, he's just fine.”

“Then bring him out here. I want to see for myself.” Tom growled, balling his hands into tight fists. He knew with Joey's little outburst about already not liking the toon that there was no way for the toon to be in good health. He hadn't seen the man parading him like a trophy at all, nor had he heard any additional noises indicating that the toon was nearby. Not only that but to agree so easily without a full blown argument, something was wrong.

“Like I said, he is just fine and is resting from his birth. He is quite energetic and wore himself out. After all toons are surprisingly energetic, more so then on the big screen.” Joey coolly smiled as he leaned back into his chair, chuckling even like it was amusing about the nature of toons.

Tom glared at him and knew he wasn't going to get an answer as to what befell the young toon. “Fine.”

With a quick turn on the heel, Tom turned around and marched up to the door stopping briefly noticing small splatters of ink on the wall and the floor next to the door. Something had been thrown or struck in this spot, and it wasn't very high. Joey's office was always impeccable regardless of the countless pipe ruptures and spills. Something must have happened in the office. He briefly glanced over his shoulder and Joey whom was still watching him coldly, he let out a small huff and walked out the office closing the door roughly behind himself. Tom leaned against the door taking a deep breath before narrowing his eyes down the halls that surrounded him. He now had two lost toons to find.

\---------------------

Joey made sure Tom was long gone before he left his office slowly and carefully as to not attract attention from any nearby staff. He cursed his uncooperative body, it was already bad enough that he suffered from weak joints and pain dealt to him from polio he got as a child, but any physical activity didn't help. Restraining that pathetic excuse of a toon wore him out more so then he would have liked, and on top of that the toon struck him during the struggle crippling him. His silent curses were broken by a smooth southern voice.

“Ya alright Mr. Drew? Ya look like yer havin' a bit o' trouble there.”

Joey turned to look up at Norman Polk whom had a worried look on his face. “Ah, just having an off day Mr. Polk. My body isn't exactly old, but I certainly feel old right now.” He lightly chuckled smiling faintly, he was always neutral towards the dark skinned man. Norman was a hard worker, well worth his pay and wasn't a problem child unlike some of the staff. He kept to himself and his projectors. 'Wait' Joey thought to himself. 'Thomas said that the toon needed to be taught. Perhaps he can be educated from watching his own films.' Joey lightly cleared his throat gaining Norman's full attention. “Hey Mr. Polk?”

“yes sir?” The projectionist looking down at him.

“You once told me that you have a little sister correct?”

Norman flashed a big proud grin. “Yes Sir. She's a lil bitty thin', all but 8 years old.” He took pride in his little sister and had to help his mother raise her since their father was no longer in the picture. “She absolutely love's the cartoons we make 'ere.”

Joey smiled listening to Normans answer, children like Norman's sister were the target audience for the cartoons and they would know the best shorts to pick that would describe the toon. After all children know their favorite shorts by heart. “Say if you had to pick all of your sisters favorite shorts, what would they be?”

Norman tilted his head the mans question, but thought back to the memories of his sister happily sitting in his lap at the movie theater cheering and pointing at the toons and their antics on the silver screen. A warm smile crept across his face as he reminisced at all the shorts he himself put together and seeing his sister's loving response. Naturally all the shorts that Henry made and that he put together were her favorites. He never missed a chance to take her to the theater so they could see the latest movie and to see the shorts. While they always had to sit in the back since the theater was segregated it never damped her mood at all. She always commented how she felt a connection to the little devil, always judged by her looks. That no matter how someone looks it was whats inside that counts.

Norman faced Joey and happily gave him a lengthy list of all the shorts that he sister adored, while Joey quickly jotted them down on a piece of paper. Once Joey wrote the last of the titles on the page he looked back up and Norman and smiled while patting the man on the shoulder “Thank you.”

Norman looked surprised by Joey's kindness towards him and seemingly earnest respect. “Yer welcom' sir, but if ya don' mind mah askin' what did ya need the list fer?”

Joey was caught off guard by the sudden inquiry, but was quick with his answer. “I got a group of investors coming later in the week and I needed to showcase some of our best films.” He flashed a warm grin at Norman “After all children know best.”

A chuckle escaped Norman's lip “Ya, that they do sir.”

“well if you'll excuse me I need to start rounding up those reels.” Joey nodded in farewell and started to try and limp down the hall but he got nowhere when a firm hand grasped his arm. He turned to see Norman holding onto his arm, the man lifted his arm up and slung it over his shoulder supporting his weight. “Wh-what are you doing?” Joey stammered out surprised by the sudden movement.

“Givin' ya a hand. Yer not gonna get far with yer legs so I'm gonna help ya. Yer headin' to the vault fer the reels right? I'm headin' that way anyway so might as well help ya along.” Norman laughed.

Joey lowered his head and chuckled softly to himself. “fine have it your way.”

With amused silence Norman shouldered the mans weight and with slow and steady stride he helped carry the older man to the elevator to take to the lower levels. They idly chatted about little things like Norman's family and the different cartoons as the elevator creaked and groaned on it's decent. When they reached the new administration level they disembarked the elevator and stopped to take a break. Joey was worn out just from reaching the elevator so Norman let him rest on a crate until the man was able to steady himself again and then resumed their trip to the vault. At the vault door Joey showed Norman how to open the door since at the moment he lacked the strength to stand for the duration and open the door. Once the door opened Norman was handed the list of desired shorts and the man gingerly rummaged through the collection pulling out the desired reels.

Norman fingered through the shelving of reels and various other items that had been stored in the vault and noticed a door in the far right corner of the room partially hidden by a shelf. He peered over his shoulder to make sure Joey wasn't looking and edged closer to the corner to get a better look. The door was large and partially hidden by an empty book case like someone didn't want anyone to see the door. A large ink splatter was at the base of the door and on the walls. The whole thing seemed wrong, he could only hope Benny didn't somehow make it this far down.

“Did you get them all?” Joeys voice sounded out from outside the vault room.

Norman scrambled away from the corner and grabbed the pile of reels needed. “yes sir! I got 'em right 'ere.” The man strode out of the vault carrying the pile in his arms.

Joey eyed the stack double checking that all was present and accounted for. “Good man. I almost thought you weren't even there for a minute and was gonna lock you in there.” He laughed while patting Norman on the back. The projectionist was slightly disturbed by the notion but chose to chuckle going along with the gag.

Carrying the reels in his arms Norman offered his shoulder to Joey whom quietly accepted and they both slowly made the trip back to the upper levels of the studio. Norman picked up a few additional reels along the way that were needed by the music department for later in the evening, and dropped Joey and his stack of reels off at his office. Joey gave the man his thanks and with the tip of his cap Norman resumed his route down the hall disappearing out of sight leaving Joey to his own devices. He hated having to stop to help the man whom hurt his little friend, and now the time he could have spent looking for Benny got used up by Joey and he had to go back to the music department.

\------------------

Joey glanced at the reels that Norman has stacked on the edge of his desk in his office letting out a deep annoyed sigh. He seriously doubted that playing the reels for Bendy would work in any fashion, but anything was worth a shot. He already spent too much on the ink machine and as much as he hated to admit it the damn thing had produced a proper living toon with the aid of the Illusion of Living and the sacrifices. He'll try Thomas's suggestion of letting the toon learn from his own reels, but he needed a back up plan in case Bendy doesn't behave the way he is supposed to. But what?

Joey subconsciously pulled out the Illusion of Living and glanced through it's contents. The mysterious book had aided in the creation of the living toon and helped provide the Ink machine with it's ability to create life, may something within could help guide the toon as it did with the machine. Joey mindlessly flipped through the pages of rituals and summonings until a small excerpt caught his attention:

 

_A human can be divided into two distinct portions: the soul, and the body. The body is merely a vessel, a husk that the soul fills and in turn brings the empty husk to live by providing the life needed. The soul is the heart of the body and the very essence of what makes up the individual. The body cannot function without a soul and the soul cannot be without a body. It is intangible unless given a physical form to be contained within. In rare instances the body can move without a soul housing it by means of magic imitating the likeness of a soul, a personality. An illusion of a living individual and what made that individual unique. In short a doll given magic to imitate the life around it and pass off as a living creature, a golem with a power source of magic. Magic is not infinite making golems only temporary, a soul however is. While it is not recommended and highly dangerous it is possible to give a golem or doll a soul. It requires sacrifices and a ritual._

 

Joey's eyes lit up at the passage. He saw many similarities to Tom's rough description of the ink machine. It was made a mold in the shape of the toon that the ink filled with information to make a living toon. However once his eyes rest upon the final portion of the paragraph it made his heart race. He had infused the Ink machine with dark magic he gained from the book and the grim fact that the magic was not infinite. How long would it last? Was it a few days? Weeks? Years? There was no time frame given. How long would the toon last? He was certain that Bendy didn't have a soul since he is a cartoon and has no person within him as a 'energy source', but that didn't seem right.

The man rest his head on his hands as he leaned forward on his desk laying the book down and skimming the passage again trying to better comprehend the wording. Bendy claimed that he had some of Henry's essence in his ink from his creation using that as an excuse as to how he somehow knew the man. Was the blood mixed in the ink and acted as a temporary source keeping the toon going, but how long will that last? His mind also drifted to the toon that Sammy has spotted in the music department, the false Bendy. That toon somehow was still alive despite being made from the experimental Ink machine. Was somehow some of Tom's blood mixed in with the dolls fabric when he gave it to the machine? He was the only one to handle the toy prior to handing it over and his hands were banged up from working all day. Bendy claimed he had Henry in him so under that logic the rejected toon must have some of Tom in him as well. Blood must be a energy source for them somehow, but that cannot last forever.

Joey reread the passage again ' _Magic is not infinite making golems only temporary, a soul however is. It is possible to give a golem or doll a soul. It requires sacrifices and a ritual._ ' This caused the man to chuckle and burst into a raucous laughter. He already had the sacrifices and knew how to perform rituals with ease all he needs is the man in question and he will have a soul for the empty husk known as Bendy the Dancing Demon. With a swift motion Joey opened up his desk and pulled out some stationary laying it out, a few strokes of a pen later and he wrote a simple letter of invitation:

 

_Dear Henry,_

_It's been awhile since we worked on cartoons together, time seems to be slipping away faster and faster._   
_At your earliest convince come visit the old shop, there's something I want to show you._

_Your best pal,_   
_Joey Drew_

 

Joey held up the letter with pride before a hint of concern shot through him turning his smile into a scowl. What if something goes wrong? Would any soul work as a source rather then the creator himself? Bendy already has a personality given to him from the material used in the machine so wouldn't he just need an energy source? This warrants investigation, but first he needs to be educated by his own cartoons to ensure success. If all goes as planned then any random insignificant person will do, he owns the entire staff of the studio so it wouldn't matter if a person or two disappeared. A smile crept across his lips and he slid the paper and address back into the drawer the only thought that crossed his mind 'just in case'.

\--------Meanwhile at the Music Department---------

Sammy couldn't help but scowl at the entire band, often losing his temper and nearly snapping his baton from how hard he struck the podium shouting for the band to cease playing. Every last one of them was not playing to the best of their abilities, and most of all Allison. Her singing didn't have that normal heavenly feel to it like it would normally have. It was like an angel who had her wings broken. He understood that her dressing room had been broken into but unfortunately this was a studio and they lacked the luxury of waiting for someone to get their act together after a incident. It was cold but it was a grim truth. It was as if her distraught mood had affected the band. They were playing halfheartedly and that lively energy wasn't there. The feel of the room didn't match the film being played behind them.

After the 5th attempt at the piece Sammy slammed his hands and baton on the podium. “Stop, Stop, Stop! I don't know what is wrong with the lot of you today, but we don't have all day for you to get your acts together.”

The irate musical director pointed a finger at Leonard. “Your violin playing is everywhere, but where the sheet music dictated. You're hitting too many flats and you're off key. Re-tune your violin and watch your damn finger placement.”

“You two Aaron and Giovanni, I don't who spit in your corn flakes, but you both are playing too aggressively for the piece and the notes are coming out too harsh for the piece. Both your respective pieces have many parts that dictate a decrescendo and yet you are blatantly ignoring it. If it says to lighten up then lighten the hell up.” Sammy bellowed at the two men from across the room making Leonard flinch since he was taking the brunt of Sammy's tirade.

“And you blasted twins, your playing sounds like your dragging your feet down the road to your funeral, you're supposed to be playing a lively tune with a skip in your step. Pick it up!” Both Edgar and Earl winced from the mans heated glare and bellowing.

“Most of all you. Mrs Connor.” Sammy took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Look I understand that someone broke into your dressing room and completely trashed the place, but I need you to find your voice. You are singing so softly I can barely hear you and your voice sounds cracked and broken. I'm sorry, but I need an joyous Angel, not a weeping one.” Allison looked at him and nodded at him slightly before bowing her head not looking at him in the eye.

“All right everyone take a 15 and we will try again. Keep in mind we don't have a luxury of mistakes or it's our paychecks.” Sammy shouted out to the band excusing them for a moment, he picked up a handful of the sheet music and left the department.

Norman came out of his projection booth letting out a loud sigh. “Man it's been awhile since I seen Sammy get that worked up.” he grabbed an empty chair and pushed aside the Bendy cutout facing it away from himself.

Allison sat on her stool holding her bag close to her chest. “I'm having a hard time feeling it. I would feel him nudging me and would often try and sing along to where I would have to pat him to get him to stop, but now I don't feel anything. He isn't there by my side. I know Tom promised to go look for him, but this place it huge and Benny is small. He could be anywhere.” The woman curled around the bag gently as if it were her lifeline.

Leonard looked at her worriedly until a little idea popped into his head “Hey It's not all that bad.” his chipper mood causing Allison to look up at him. “See Edgar, Earl and I.” the young man grabbed the twins pulling them close so all three can face her. “The three of us know the studio like the back of our hands, I'm sure with the three of us all running 'round we can find the little bundle of joy in no time.” the three young men all flashed huge mischievous grins at Allison, making her laugh.

Edgar and Earl both spoke in unison sounding in stereo “Yeah! We'll find our little devil in no time!”

“Thanks boys.” Allison chuckled at them. It was no secret that the unholy trio treated the studio like it was a playground and were probably more mischievous then the little devil darling himself. They had this uncanny ability to get into places that most of the older staff cursed their child like nature. Perhaps it took one with a child like personality to find a child.

Giovanni stepped forward and ruffled his hand on Leonard's hair messing it up. “With our little pocket nuisances running around being the local terrors that they are, I'm gonna see if I can lay some of those can of Bacon soup around for the boy. We all know he likes food so maybe if some food is left sitting around he might go for it. That way we can narrow down where he ran off to. With his appetite he is bound to get hungry sooner or later.”

“Oh god no, do you plan on poisoning the boy?” Aaron joked from across the room. “We all know how bad that soup tastes and it will only make the little one sick. If you're gonna leave food lying around you might as well leave something that tastes better.”

“Hate t' break it t' ya Aaron, but those are th' only things that can be lyin' round that Joey ain't gonna suspect. Th' man is pround o' th' soup and 'as no problem wit' them lyin' all over th' place. Anythin' else be obvious and raise an alarm. Plus thay got a shelf life that won't quit, them damn thin' 'ill last ferever” Norman commented from his chair.

“Beside those canned soups actually taste pretty good!” Leonard beam over at Aaron. The man grumbled and commented about how something must be either wrong with Leonard's taste buds, his brain or both.

The group burst into laughter at Aaron's commentary and everyone agreed that now they needed to find their little lost friend for their Angel's sake. With Tom now in the mix looking for the toon the man was like a determined hunting dog, he doesn't let up till he gets his prize. The atmosphere seemed to lighten with the group and the weight on all of their shoulders and hearts a little lighter. The small Bendy cutout collection in the corner all smiling at the lighter mood the small team had found themselves in.

Sammy entered the music hall after the break prompting the group to break apart and resume their positions back at their instruments, mic and projector. Sammy glanced around and it seemed that everyone's faces were brighter and more focused. With the wave of a hand and baton he stuck up the band and the sound that followed was the sound that he was used to, perfection. Whatever happened through the course of the 15 minute break seemed to be enough to help the band get back on their feet, Allison found her voice and the band was playing like normal.

Once the day wrapped up Sammy laid out the new music for the band to collect and wandered off in search of more cutouts. Once Sammy was out of sight and the band confirmed he was gone they all looked at Allison with determined eyes and all split up to begin their search of a little plushdemon whom had gone missing. The group searched for hours until some got caught by Joey and was urged to go home for the day and come back in the morning. While Joey was fussing at Leonard, Edgar and Earl for once again running around the halls like little hell spawns Giovanni had secured a stash of Bacon Soup cans and with Aaron and Norman's help had slowly started leaving small shelves worth of the stuff in random places. Taking mental note of where they had been placed and hoped to check on them in the morning to narrow down the search.

\-------late that night within the studio--------

Joey was more then frustrated and exhausted from the day, but at the least he had little 'loose ends' to wrap up. He found his reining in the nuisance trio from the music department a mere setback, god he wished those three had better things to do then run around the studio like it was a playpen. They were adults for gods sake and Leonard was worst of them being the clear ring leader. That one was just as energetic as the little devil darling himself. That mere thought gave him pause. Leonard was just as energetic as Bendy and knew the cartoons like the back of his hand. The man was a known musician, dancer and overall entertainer hence why he was recommended for hiring. He might be a good candidate to offer to Bendy, after all the two were similar.

'First things first' Joey thought to himself as he cradled the collection of film reels in his arm 'I need to give Bendy a proper education after all'. The man strode down the dark halls of the studio with only a few of the pale yellow emergency lights lighting his way. He went down several halls and entered the elevator descending into the depths of the studio. The elevator's decent was slow and creaky leaving the man to be a bit nervous as to whether or not it would suddenly give out on him, but with it's protesting it arrived at the desired destination. Joey swiftly exited the elevator not wanting to be in the cursed contraption any longer then necessary and vowing to take the stairs upon returning to the top floors.

He strode past the new additions to the studio feeling a sense of pride in knowing how his precious studio was progressing faster then he could ever believe. He had an amusement park being developed within its newer walls, the completion of the Ink machine and the production of the living toons which will soon freely roam the park and be living attractions, something that the competitors couldn't ever dream of having. He and he alone had the ambition to make the impossible possible. He just has a small speed bump to take care of and soon Joey Drew studios will reach new heights that no one else could ever hope to achieve.

Joey adjusted the reels in his arms as he slowly unlocked the vault door pulling it open just enough to squeeze through. He briefly set the reels down and moved the shelving that masked the hidden door to the heart of the Ink machine. Though small curses escaped the man as he moved the heavy shelving. He wished he could have just have Norman pull out the reels and left them sitting out to retrieve later, but then that would let on that something was amiss on these floors and the last thing he wanted was for someone to discover the truths within the walls. Few people were allowed this far down and he wanted to keep it that way while the areas were still in development. However with Bertrum's constant boasting about his park development and the little mechanical toy Bendy he had been developing eating up the finances that should go into finishing the new administrative areas and offices, he had to bite his tongue. That man can boast till the cows come home about his fame and prowess in development and design, but he Joey Drew has a living toon. That little mechanical toy that is supposed to be Bendy can never be him cause he had the real one once he has all that he needs to be perfect. So for now he will let Bertrum have his little fun and as long as his staff assists with completing the park and the lower levels along side GENT, then he will be satisfied with that.

The man traversed the short halls and entered the 'Belly of the Beast' that housed the ink lake. He cursed the fact that a proper bridge or platform had not been made yet to allow access to the heart of the machine without walking away like someone lost a fight with an ink well. Yet another little delay that needed GENT's or Bertrum's team's attention. With caution he slowly waded across with his eyes watching the ink as it seemed to grab at his closing like a lake of cursed souls begging for freedom. He was silently thankful that the natural well for the ink wasn't any deeper lest he fall and drown in the ebony substance.

He finally reached the shore and set the reels down to wipe off the excess ink that stubbornly clung to his clothes. Once he got the majority of the excess ink off he scooped up the reels and with a sing song voice that would scare more sane folk, waltzed into the 'throne room' where Bendy sat limp at the chair and to Joey's relief still bound in chains.

“Oh Beeeeeendy~” Joey hummed out reaching his hand under the toons chin lifting his head to face him. “Look what I got for you.” the man held up a film reel reading 'The Dancing Demon' on it's side.

Bendy was unresponsive and didn't even seem to be looking at the man, Joey ran his fingers down the side of Bendy's face marveling at the feel of the living ink demon and then noted that the toons frown was twitching. Bendy lunged at him bearing teeth that were off-model as he tried to bite his hand, Joey thanking his reflexes at pulling away before the toon could bite down on him. The man took in the toons off model teeth, the base of the teeth were the normal blocky look but the ends of the teeth which should be flat were triangular and sharp. Bendy's pie cut eyes glaring at the man and small growls seemed to be escaping is gritted teeth.

“Oh come now Bendy, temper ,temper.” Joey subconsciously rubbed his hand that barely escaped being bitten. “I brought you a little present and this is how you thank me?”

Bendy didn't say anything except small low warning growls every time the man got near him while Joey seemed to be pulling out boxy looking items around the base of the chair. Joey whistled Bendy's theme song for the show while he worked all the while the toon trying his best to once again free himself, but failing since the only thing he could move was his floating head. His hands occasionally grazed Joeys clothes trying to grab a hold on him while he worked earning a frown from the man.

Joey grew tired of the toons rattling around in the chains while he worked, and drifted over to the pile of clasps that still lay in the corner. He found 2 smaller ones and pulled out the small bottle of acetone he carried and coated the rings in the liquid. He turned around to face Bendy and the toons growls ceased when he saw the look in the mans eyes, cold and void of life. His desire for escape escalated more and more as Joey approached him opening each ring, even restoring to begging for forgiveness and he'll behave if he just let him go. The toons begging fell on deaf ears as Joey grabbed Bendy left hand and with assistance from the acetone drove the ring through the button on his hand and then curled the ring around coming out the adjacent button clamping it around the chains holding his hand in place. The toon screamed in agony and pain at the sudden motion, he sobbed loudly with large inky tears staining his face as he begged for forgiveness and that he was sorry for trying to bite the man let alone trying to grab him. The director didn't seem to care for the toons pleas and repeated the same actions to the toons right hand earning more screams and sobs.

“Now that I have your undivided attention” Joey sneered as he grabbed Bendy's head lifting it up to meet his own. “I want you to watch these films and be a good little boy.” He released Bendy's head and the toon quietly sobbed as Joey resumed working on the projectors. One by one each projector came to life showing off the various shorts of the Bendy cartoon. The little smiling devil was a far cry different from the one whom sat crucified to the throne and was forced to watch. “And look! You won't be in a dark room anymore, so have fun.”

The last thing Bendy heard was Joey's raucous laughter as the man slammed the door behind himself. The toon silently vowing to someday wipe that man's smile off his face, he'll have the final laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor little Benny has disappeared into the depth of the studio, driven away by the false angel. Tom finally learned the truth of the little toon he thought was dead and the severity of his lack of action, but how was the poor guy to know? It is amazing how lack of communication and trust can create so many problems. Now they have to try and find Benny in hopes that they aren't too late and now it seems that Joey Drew is on the move with poor Bendy as his play thing.


	7. Bigger Plans for the Band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny is gone and is no where to be found. Now a determined Angel is out to find her demon accompanied by her band and loyal husband. Can they find Benny or will someone else find them whom has even bigger plans?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this finished up awhile ago, but lacked the time to properly sit and submit the chapter. Plus I got my art station back up and running properly so it took a bit of time to get everything set up.

Bright and early in the morning Allison and Tom piled into Tom's truck and the man broke a few speed limits to reach the studio. They had stayed up all night formulating ways to trying to track Benny down based on what Allison knew of him. The mechanic and actress had placed many phone calls waking much of the band members (and got cussed out by a few) as to perform a thorough search of the studio before the facility opened to the majority of the staff. Tom was taking full advantage of the fact that he was one of the few key holders and had informed everyone to meet at the studio 2 hours before the studio was fully open to openly search for Benny without onlookers. They had hoped that Norman, Aaron and Giovanni's plan of leaving food sitting out had paid off since Benny was known to have a large appetite.

While Tom drove like a madman down the dark road and was thankful no cops were around to pull him over (not like he would have stopped), Allison was silently praying that they would be able to find her little lost toon. Benny didn't really see much of the studio except for the area's she frequented and she had no real reason to venture beyond the animation department and the music department. She had hoped that Benny hadn't ventured further then that due to the studio's maze like infrastructure and it was a common occurrence for new staff to get lost or turned around. She held her overcoat tightly in hopes that by the end of the day her coat would help smuggle a little friend out of that hellish place.

Tom pulled into the studio lot and was soon joined by another car. The mechanic got out to look at who was the other early arrival hoping it wasn't some random employee and he was relieved to see Norman stepping out and waving at him.

“G' mornin!” Norman hollered from his car, the man stepping out to reveal a tool belt around his waist full of tools, a loop of wire and a small backpack.

Allison looked at Norman wide eyed “What's all that?” gesturing to the belt and small tools.

Norman chuckled as he pointed to his equipment “Well normally I carry these in mah backpack, but I got 'em on mah side on that off chance we find Benny an' I can sneak 'em out with the bag. These are mah tools fer the projectors so I carry 'em all th' time.”

Upon Norman finishing his explanation Allison chuckled and held up her overcoat. “I had the same idea, I brought the coat with the idea of sneaking him out in my clothes.”

While the group lightly chatted, a few more cars pulled into the lot while 2 others came on foot. Tom, Allison and Norman turned to see Earl and Edgar arriving on foot while Leonard, Giovanni and Aaron all arrived by car.

“Huh. I didn't know you boys walked here.” Tom commented while looking at the twins whom were still trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes.

“Ay, We live just down the way from here so it's only a 15-20 minute walk.” Earl yawned while Edgar hung off his brother clearly having a hard time waking up.

Allison watching Edgar having a hard time waking up instantly made her think of Benny. At times in the morning he was slow moving, groggy and not always ready for the day. “I just hope Benny is awake and can hear us while we're looking for him. He isn't exactly a morning toon.”

Leonard flashed a huge grin “Which is why we make as much noise as we can. If were loud by either playin' music or callin' his name I'm sure he's bound to come running.” The man held up his violin to emphasize his point.

Aaron smacked Leonard on the back of the head playfully “Or to go running away, did you ever think about that numskull. Think about it, the room getting trashed was enough to scare him away, he might be edgy and run from any excessive noises.”

“I vote we check were we put all the soup cans first before we wake the dead by shouting all morning.” Giovanni added in. “He's been missing for a full day now, he has got to be hungry by now.”

“Which is why I brought this” Tom heading to his truck and came back with a huge roll of paper and laid it on the hood of his truck prompting the group to come over. “This is a map of the entire studio, even the portions that as still in development. When I was developing the first ink machine Joey had to provide us the original blueprint of the studio then we added onto to it. This is my copy of the blueprint that I'm thankful I took with me.”

The band members had gathered round and everyone stared at the pages in awe at the sheer depth that the studio had gone. None of them could have imagined that the studio was much larger then it looked.

“What's this area?” Giovanni pointed at a large circular area that was labeled ' Belly of the Beast' on the draft.

Tom looked to the spot that Giovanni had pointed to “Oh that is the 'Throne room' as Joey liked to put it. It's where he houses Bendy memorabilia with the purpose of impressing investors.”

Norman's face twisted in confusion as he eyed the area that was brought into question. He followed the only route that lead from that spot to yet another large room but the only entrance was in a corner of the room rather then a main hallway. It seemed odd. “An' what's this 'ere?” He pointed at the second smaller room that served as the only entrance to the 'throne room' gaining Tom's attention.

“Huh? Oh that's the vault.” 

“I know that area!” Norman's outburst taking everyone by surprise.

“You do?” Allison spoke up looking at the projectionist confused. Her look of confusion was joined by the rest of the band whom had no clue half of the new additions of the studio existed. 

“Yeah. Th' other day Joey was headin' down 'ere and I was gonna check that area first in the hopes that lil' Benny hadn't come that far down. I helped 'em down and then he was askin' me about what Bendy films mah lil sister likes. I told 'em which ones and he told me t' get them out the vault. He told me how to open it and I got the films fer 'em, then we headed back to the office and I had to go back to the music department.” Norman stared holes at the blueprint of the vault on the draft sheet. “When I was in there th' door 'ere'” he pointed to the door mark in the corner of the room. “It was blocked off by a large book shelf an' ink was around the base. I dunno what was beyond th' door but it looked odd.”

“That's where the ink for the ink machine is kept, along with 'the Ink Machine'.” Tom's voice causing the group to look at him and looks of confusion and the emphasis of the Ink Machine . “The Ink Machine not only helps make ink but it also filters and pumps ink throughout the studio like a giant heart. What we see up top is only a small piece of the real thing, that's the 'output' portion where the toons come out. It's 'heart' looks exactly like the one on the upper levels, but far bigger. The blue print for the Ink Machine is so complex it couldn't be all put on one drafting sheet plus along with whatever Joey put inside the machine.”

“So why couldn't you say something sooner? I mean about all that was going on behind the scenes with the Ink machine and Benny.” Aaron looked over at Tom with disappointment on his face.

The man's question made the mechanics shoulders slump “I didn't want to admit it, but I kinda liked the idea of a living toon. A little character who's sole purpose was to make people smile despite the stock market crash and the hardship that followed. That was the reason why I took such a ludicrous job along with the fact that it paid well. The longer I worked here and the more complex the project turned out to be, the more I realized I was in over my head and was too far in to just simply back out. Joey wouldn't let me and then my job wouldn't let me. I couldn't say anything cause Joey had threatened me.” Tom turned to look at Allison. “When I made the prototype ink machine it was only supposed to test on whether or not a object can be turned into an ink copy. The idea being that we can turn Bendy related objects into a physical replica of the toon, a 3 dimensional model if you will. That day I went to Shawn and asked to grab something from the scrap heap and he let me. I looked at the pile of Alice angel toys that were being tossed and saw one lonely Bendy plush that the eyes were accidentally mismatched and had somehow got stained yellow. I liked it on sight to be honest, something about it made me smile. It was unique. So I picked up the toy and brought it to the machine. To be honest a small part of me wished I could have kept the toy and that the process wouldn't work so I can get the toy back. Never in a million years would I have pictured that the toy was turned into a living toon somehow. After that, things got out of hand I was threatened by Joey into silence for if I said something or did something out of line he would go after my wife and have her hurt or worse.” 

Allison stared at her husband in horror realizing that Tom was putting himself in harms way to protect her from someone who had no qualms about removing people by means of injury or death. That Tom had no choice but to endure threats to his loved one and carry the burden of the birth and death of the off model toon. She walked over to her cherished husband and gave him a warm comforting hug while whispering a small 'thank you'.

“So what exactly happen' when lil Benny was made?” Norman politely asked.

The mechanic smiled remembering the first day. “Well after I took one last look at the little toy and placed it inside the machine I went through the process of making sure the machine itself was ready. I threw the switch and watched the machine writhe around before a large glob of ink fell out the nozzle. At first I thought it failed and only succeeded in making some really thick ink, but when it started taking form I could only stand and watch in amazement. After a few moments a yellow colored Bendy toon was sitting in the ink and what really shocked me was when it was moving. It was alive. I couldn't help myself. I went over to look at the little new born and got to touch him for the first time, and he was so soft and sweet. A part of me was like a child, all giddy and excited at seeing their favorite character. The little toon was responding the sounds I made and my touches.” Then Tom's face turned bitter and angry. “Then Joey was shouting how the toon was off model and needed to be disposed of. I couldn't stand by and let that happen so I stood up to Joey protecting the toon who cowered behind me. We argued and while and when I was distracted Joey had grabbed an ax and struck me on the side of my head with the handle. I saw the little toon reach for me when I got hit and his reward was a slash wound across his stomach. I grabbed Joey's legs to try and keep him from going after the toon a 2nd time allowing Benny to escape. He hit me on the head again and I don't know what happened after that. The next thing I knew was I was in his office getting threatened into silence.”

The group had an overwhelming sense of pity finally learning Thomas's side of the story. The man had been lured in and used, and when the results came he got stepped on and shoveled over. A simple notion of helping to make something that made people smile got turned against him and brought him only pain.

A chuckle made the group look back at the man “Now I know that my little toon is alive, he is my responsibility. I brought him into this world and I won't let anything or anyone take him out. Though now we have a new problem on our hands rather then just finding Benny” Tom's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the blueprint laid before him.

“What is this new problem? We already have enough with tryin' to find a small toon” Giovanni roughly pointed out.

Tom turned to face the group. “Our 2nd problem is Bendy. The other day when I completed the 2nd ink machine it produced a perfectly on-model Bendy toon. He is alive just like his counterpart and is unfortunately in Joey's hands. The man forced me to come back here with threats to my livelihood if I didn't fix the machine to make a Bendy that 'acted right'. Apparently Bendy's behavior isn't like his cartoon self and according to Joey he is too much like his creator Henry. With any luck Joey didn't kill him, but considering how much he has invested in Bendy already he most likely has him hidden somewhere in the unfinished areas.”

Norman let out a sigh while pinching the bridge between his nose. “Great, now we got 2 lost chi'ren t' look fer.”

Tom gave and apologetic look to the band members “Sorry about this guys.”

“Ah, It ain't your fault Thomas.” Leonard spoke up walking up to the man. “You were doing what you were forced to and in a way it paid off. You got 2 loving cartoon characters and all we need to do now is just get them out., with this many of us it will be a snap.” The young man flashing a large grin. “Besides we're the infamous Joey Drew Studios band, the bane of Sammy's existence, the local terrors, the devil's musicians!”

“Speak for yourself. You, Edgar and Earl are the only ones that hold the title of 'the local terrors'” Aaron chided looking down at Leonard. “The rest of us on the other hand, proudly take the title of 'the Devil's musician's.”

The band all laughed and uttered various forms of agreement at the mans statement knowing that out of the entire group their youngest 3 members were the 'unholy terrors'. Words of cheers and the occasional pot shot was passed throughout the group before they settled down and looked at Tom. Giovanni looked at the rest of the members and stepped forward towards Tom and asked four words that drew all eyes to the mechanic. “Where do we start?” 

“All right here's what we do.” Tom carefully folded the blueprint and ripped along the folds dividing it up amongst the group except for Norman and himself. “I want you guys to check each section of the map that I gave you and mark off any points of interest or areas where Bacon Soup cans were deposited. Most of this is reachable by elevator which I'm gonna unlock for you guys so can all go look around. I know we're all used to taking the stairs, but take the elevator. I know its sketchy as hell, but it is faster then running up and down the stairs. If you see something suspicious or think it might be Benny take note, but don't approach. I doubt Benny would deliberately harm anyone, but right now he is scared and alone, he might lash out if you just charge forward. Call out to him if you think its him. If he comes great, if not take note and keep moving we only have 2 hours.”

“'Ey guys we should move our cars so no one sees 'em.” Norman gestured to the small collection of cars in the studio main lot. “last thin' we need is Joey knowin' were 'ere.”

“See I told ya this is a stealth mission!” Leonard's voice piped up. “Instead of 'Escape the Hell Studio' it's now 'Toon Trouble: Search and Rescue.” The man flashing a wide grin at the group as he waved his hands outlining the title as if it were on the side of a theater entrance.

Aaron and Giovanni both looked at each other as to who wanted the pleasure of throttling the kid first. Tom beat them both to the punch by playfully smacking the kid on the side of the head at the same time Norman took a swing. The two musician's lamented that they couldn't get a shot, but smiles graced their faces at seeing a lighter side to their normally grumpy GENT mechanic.

“Boi this ain't time fer no games.” Norman lightly scowled. He secretly wanted to thank Leonard for at least lightening the mood since they all had a serious task on their hands. 

“C'mon kid. This ain't a game, lets move the cars then find our toons.” Tom moved past Leonard whom was rubbing the spots where he was struck. Leonard briefly stuck his tongue out at the man, but immediately pulled it back in when Norman stood over him smiling before lifting him up by the back of his coat and trailed after the mechanic.

Allison, Edgar and Earl waited by the entrance as they watched the group one by one file into their respective cars and move them towards the back side of the studio lot out of sight of the entryway. Norman had long since figured out Joey's route to the studio and made sure everyone parked on the side that the man doesn't venture past. The group was more then thankful for the projectionists habit of observing habits. Leonard made a few more jokes about it being a stealth mission and even started playing his violin in a ominous manner while humming a tune calling it his 'theme song'. Thomas saw red and chased the man all the way back to the entrance trying to throttle him with Aaron and Giovanni right behind for backup. Norman being the only one to school his temper quietly followed wishing that the 3 enraged men weren't trying to wake the dead with their curses, the loudest of all being Tom. Leonard coward behind Allison whom scolded Tom for being too loud. The man glared at Leonard and had no choice but to let it go and focus on letting everyone inside.

The dim lights of the studio lot offered little assistance as Thomas pulled out a set of keys and fiddled with the door and the lock,the building seemingly protesting the early entry. The door finally decided to cooperate after the man gave it a good solid hit and it creaked open revealing the haunting interior. Only the emergency lights were on casting long black shadows over much of the studio entrance except for the dull moonlight that shown through the door. One by one the group filed in the sounds of creaking and groaning wood being their only greeting at the doorway. The studio logo's film reels slowly turning their normal creaks and groans sounding less like their mechanics that drove them and more like the moans of a dying creature.

“Ooo Boy it's dark in here.” Leonard spoke up watching the faint outline of the Joey Drew Studio logo reels forever turning round and round. 

“Brilliant observation Sherlock” Aaron groaned while nudging Leonard further into the studio so he could enter.

“Awww don't be like that Aaron ol' boy, and here I thought we might be needing these.” Leonard turned to face the group and opened his coat up revealing the internal pockets stuffed with flashlights.

“For a second I thought you were gonna flash me.” Aaron grumbled while looking at the grinning Leonard.

“We'll I am carrying flashlight's, so in a way I already did.” Leonard soon found himself scrambling away from both Giovanni and Aaron as the two men both lunged for him leaving Norman burying his face in his hands and Tom's hands twitching. The mechanic still wanting to throttle the kid for his earlier antics and now this little episode to add on to his list of reasons why to maim the kid.

“Guys! Guys. We don't have time for this.” Earl piped up shaking his groggy brother off his shoulder. “We only got 2 hours.”

“For once it seems like 2 out of the 3 brat trio is using their brains” Tom muttered making Allison chuckle.

Making sure that he wasn't going to be the target of a whooping, Leonard sheepishly passed out the collection of flashlights he carried to the group. Tom turned his down saying he and Allison already had theirs and to give the spare to the twins so they each had one. One by one the younger members looked at their portions of the map and heading towards their desired locations. The dark halls greedily devoured their lights one by one with only the small creaks and groans of floorboards as evidence of their passage leaving the older members behind. The twins volunteered to check out the new park area while Leonard volunteered to check out the new Administration section. Aaron wanted to go back to check the music department just in case Benny came back. Norman wanted to better map the locations of the Bacon soup piles left on the upper levels. Giovanni volunteered to check the toy factory on the off chance Benny hid amongst the production lines. Allison and Tom both were gonna check the animation department before moving on to the depths of the studio.

“Wait.” Giovanni spoke up before Allison and Tom went down one of the halls the man jogging up to them. “Here take this. I wanted to give it to him, but right now you need it more.” The man held out his hand and revealed a little off model plush Bendy. The toy looked exactly like Benny just minus the stitches. The man chuckled “I found it hidden in the scrap pile, looks like Shawn made a mistake when he was half asleep and didn't want Joey to find out.”

Allison gently lifted the toy out of the mans hand and brought it to her chest hugging it tightly. She then pulled the man in for an embrace “Thank you. This means so much to me.”

Giovanni hugged the woman tightly before releasing her looking her in the eyes “Have faith, We'll find him. He will be going home.” his answer was a small squeeze back and a little 'Thank you'.

Once Giovanni both the embrace he waved slightly before resuming his trek down the foreboding halls of Joey Drew Studios leaving Tom and Allison behind. The couple nodded and turned towards the animation department to begin their search.

 

\---------An Hour Later------------

 

A low rumble of a engine echoed throughout the studio lot as a Black car pulled into a parking stall with a little placard that read 'reserved for Joey Drew'. The man in question stepping out of the vehicle slowly leaning heavily on his cane while carrying a bucket of ink along with a few papers covered in messy writing and unknown symbols. He looked worse for wear as he had spent the entire night researching methods of extracting souls from bodies and converting it into ink. He practiced on a good number of small animals till he perfected the craft of the conversion. He found that for the best conversion the subject had to be living for the process. The subject needed to be within the circle and with a fresh wound for the ink to enter and consume the subject body and soul alike, a little incantation later and a ink creature is born. Since the subjects were only rodents the inky forms made were mere globs of think ink that screeched and moaned, but they were controllable. They responded to commands, but the things didn't seem to last long and fell apart shortly after creation, but then again they were only small insignificant creatures. 

Joey soon learned that controlling the inky creatures came at a price, using the spells gained from the book lead to tremendous stress on his body which was already weak enough from the aftermath of Polio. His joints and muscles tightened every time he cast the various spells and at some points nearly inhibiting his ability to stand entirely. It was draining his life energy as a source of energy for the process and the ability to control the ink. He needed the ink machine. The contraption was an endless energy source and was designed for the sole purpose of making the living Ink for the form, but not the soul needed. He now had a way of giving the ink the soul it needs to truly bring the toons to life.

The director hobbled to the entrance unlocking the doors and let himself in before locking it behind himself. He needed peace and quiet before the rest of the staff started showing up. He readjusted his grip on his papers and bucket and made his way to the reception desk where his wheelchair sat. He hated using the thing, but with the amount of strain he put his body through each step felt like a knife was shredding his muscles apart and he desperately needed a break. Joey placed the bucket carefully between the foot rests next to his feet with the hopes that it wouldn't spill and slowly wheeled himself down the hall towards the ink machine. The mechanical hearts slow thumping it's only sign of life, beckoned the man to it's location. Joey sat before it listening to the rhythmic tune before laying his papers out on a nearby shelf and setting the bucket of gelatinous ink down upon the floor.

A grunt exited the man as he edged himself out of the wheelchair and clung to his cane for balance. He studied the papers on the shelf intensely before grabbing paintbrush and returned to the bucket he laid on the floor. He gingerly dipped the brush into the ink and started to paint the required circle and all it's inscriptions for the conversion at the base of the ink machine. A small chuckle escaped the mans lips. The original circle that lay within the the heart of the ink machine that gave it the ability to create the living ink and in turn make the living toons wasn't that much different then the circle used to extract a soul. One to create the illusion of life and the other to remove a life and repurpose it.

It was only a matter of minutes for the new circle to be completed beneath the ink machine and Joey stood back up on worn legs to admire his work. He had a sense of giddiness and his heart beat loudly with excitement almost in sync with the machine itself. Soon, very soon he will be able to snag his potential candidate for Bendy and perfect the toon. Now all he needed was to set up the true heart of the machine and wait for the staff to start showing up. Yeah sure the young man by the name of Leonard was one of the leading band members, but musicians come and musicians go. He could easily replace him with a new member if it meant that Bendy was no longer a soulless doll.

Joey gathered up his ink soaked brush sliding it back into the bucket and chose to slide it over to his wheelchair rather then carry it gathering up his papers along the way. Once his papers were secured he slowly eased himself back into his wheelchair and pushed himself to the controls setting the ink machine to lower to it's heart to line up the circles needed for the ritual. He listened to the machine as it whined in protest before it conceded and slowly descended into the darkness to join it's core, a raucous laughter escaped the man as the chains creaked and groaned from the decent.

 

\-----------------------------

 

“Benny! Beeeeeeennnnny!!” Leonard hollered down the halls bounding with a skip in his step while he played his violin as loud as the instrument would allow. His only answer was the silence of the halls except for a small rumble that begun to emanate from further down the halls gaining the mans attention causing him to slow and listen to the sounds. “Benny?”

Leonard nearly danced down to the edge of the hall with the sound growing louder and peered around it's edge and spotted what looked like a strange elevator shaft lined with 4 massive chains and pipes creating the rumbling sound. Confused Leonard pulled out his portion of the map and saw that the part he was now in was not on his piece of the map. Great. He was lost. He looked up from the page to see a large boxy mechanism being lowered down the shaft. Allison's words played in his head of the description of the ink machine; a large box with a huge nozzle and a catch basin beneath it and the object in question just descended into the depths of the studio.

He knew he should have turned around have gone to go find Tom or one of the other members, but what if it was leading to where Benny was? He couldn't miss this chance and the machine wasn't going very fast. Leonard edged towards the shaft and set his violin down on a crate and pried open the grate knowing that by no sense of the word was what he was about to do safe, but for Benny he was willing to take that risk. Thanking his lucky stars that the chains were large and very close to the opening, he jumped to the chains grasping onto them firmly going along for the ride into the darkness.

The ride down the shaft seemed like it took forever and on occasion an opening would appear in the form of a vent or a grate that allowed a small glimpse into the new floors of the studio that were off limits to the remainder of the staff. He couldn't believe how far down the studio was now stretching to, and could only stare wide eyed at the new renovations. The man signed and carefully slid down to rest on top the ink machine itself as he peered out the occasional openings. One particularly large open came to view and he was able to better view the floor.

Leonard was an instant child clinging to the edge of the machine staring out at the large storage room area of the floor. The area was covered in parts and booths for the rumored 'Bendy-Land' that was being constructed. His mind danced at the thoughts of the finished amusement park, the roar of the roller coasters, the screams and laughter of children and the smell of all the food. By god he couldn't wait! He so wanted to take Benny to the complete park and have him play some games with him, have a cotton candy eating contest, see how many balloons it takes to make him float and so much more! First they needed to find him and get him out of the studio. Once the little guy is safely out he can freely visit him and play as much as he wants without fear of getting caught.

A giddy grin swept across his face as he happily swayed on the chains at all the possibilities when 2 figures moving by one of the booths caught his attention. It was Earl and Edgar. The redheaded twins were' inspecting' the booth by playing the game with Earl clearly winning his round of ball toss in comparison to Edgar. “Earl! Edgar!” Leonard hollered out enthusiastically waving.

The two young men spun in place searching for the source of the voice before their eyes were drawn to Leonard waving beyond a grate. The man and a large boxy mechanism that could only be assumed was the ink machine were slowly descending down a shaft beyond the grate. Abandoning their game, the two bolted to the grate grasping a hold of it's frame while looking down at the grinning violinist.

“Ey, man are ye daft?! What are ye doin' down there laddie?” Earl shouted, he couldn't believe his eyes. What on earth was Leonard doing riding the ink machine like its a horse and left alone where was it going?

“I'm going for a ride fellas, see ya later!” Leonard shouted in return, his voice's echo bounced off the walls of the shaft.

Earl and Edgar both stood at the grate peering into the void that had swallowed their friend and they could only hope for his safety. Both looking at each other wondering what they should do about the situation. Should they give up and get Tom or continue on their mission and look for Benny. The two debated amongst each other and ultimately decided to let one of the games at the booths decide for them. Both rolled up their sleeves while they shot challenges back and forth as they paced to a booth and readied their hands for victory. Each took up a rifle and started up the target practice game forgetting their search.

Leonard stared up at the small light that was his brief window to his friends with a smile. If he were to find Benny first he would so gloat about it and rub it in the twins faces, especially since they were spending their time playing games rather then looking for their friend. His giddiness gave way to awe as his mechanical ride entered a massive cavern descending to a far larger version of itself below. “Holy cow! That thing's huge!” the musician gawked at the true Ink Machine that lay at the heart of the studio.

The smaller ink machine came to a rest on top it larger counterpart clicking in place as bellows of steam exited the machine with the larger one creating such plumes from its base as well. Leonard waved the steam away from his face before taking a look around the cavern. The place looked to be a normal underground cave that had been tunneled into. The walls were lined by scaffolding and other building materials and there were even scaffolding around the base of the Ink Machine. He eased himself to the edge of the smaller ink machine and reached for the scaffold grabbing hold and pulled himself off the machine and onto the platform. He sat for a minute admiring the both the ink machine and the Ink Machine in their entirety. It was one thing to see them on Tom's blueprints, but it never puts them in perspective as to their physical size. 

Leonard stood up and brushed off his bottom before he followed the scaffolding that surrounded the Ink Machine until it lead to a ladder allowing him to finally get onto the floor properly which made him briefly want to hug the floor for he missed it so much. The edges of the machine caught it eye as he watched plumes of steam exit it's sides and pipes far larger then he had ever seen descend into what he initially thought was a hole until he realized that it was a lake, a lake purely made of ink. He couldn't believe his eyes, he had always seen copious amounts of the ebony liquid throughout the studio, but never at this magnitude. He drifted towards the shore of the lake peering out at the cavern watching the sinister liquid as it greedily clawed at the edges of it earthen well and seemed to swallow all light that touched it. Leonard audibly gulped as he backed away from the edge of the earthen well back towards the base of the scaffold with something bumping into him.

A yelp escaped the man as he bumped into a small object causing him to whirl around and come face to face with a blank Bendy cutout. It seemed to be freshly made and lacked any black expect for the outline of the devil darling and seemed to be holding onto sign that was oddly blank, probably gonna say 'work hard, work happy' like the posters. Behind the strange cutout was a door and decided to test his luck by trying the handle. To his surprise the door opened and he followed the hallway leading inside. Unbeknownst to him while he entered the machine and drifted down it's hall, an elevator next to Joey Drew's new office and the man in question wheeled himself out of the elevator and headed directly for the vault. Joey carried on with purpose as he only had a half an hour left till the staff started showing up and it took him a good 15 to 20 minutes just to make the circle on the smaller machine, but the bigger machine will take a little longer and he didn't have much time to waste.

Leonard didn't know what to make of the hallway that was surrounded by large glass tubes with ink cascading within them. Were they to showcase the functions of the ink machine?Or were they part of the ink machine? He lingered at the glass watching to fluid within before pulling his eyes away looking around before he spied a doorway at the end of the hall. He rest his hand on the doorknob turning slowly and pulled the door open slightly revealing that the room within was dark except for the faint flickering of lights. He nudged the door open further and was met by a large circular room surrounded by silver screens with various Bendy shorts playing with oddly no audio. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at watching the shorts playing with no sounds, they are almost like ghosts dancing on a wall mocking their viewers. Leonard fully entered the room taking cautious strides taking note of the lone chair that was encased by the screens, 'chair' was a poor choice of words as it resembled more of a throne. The chains that hung from the ceiling leading to the chair didn't offer much comfort as the scene before him reminded him of some strange dungeon that was housing a beast, he could only hope this certainly wasn't the case.

“Benny? Benny are you here?” The man nervously called out. The cold atmosphere of the room was not helping his nerves.

His answer was a small soft whistle like whine drawing the mans attention to the imposing throne. Leonard edged around it fearing that the seat was occupied, but the noise he heard sounded so sad and in pain, he was willing to take that chance. He was met with a child sized figure sporting shiny boots and white gloves with a large ring driven through where the buttons would be located on each hand. The rings and a clasp around the wrists were bound in heavy chains pulling the arms away from the body. A white bow tie sat upon the upper chest area just below the head that was floating separate from the body. The head round and black with 2 small horns and a large white face with black pie cut eyes that bore traces of ink that ran down the sides of the face, and the normally trademark grin was turned into a prominent frown. Before him sat Bendy the Dancing Demon.

“Bendy!?” Leonard shrieked upon seeing the toon.

The man was shocked by what he was looking at, it was none other then Bendy the Dancing Demon the studio's icon. He remembered Tom had said that Bendy had been made, but didn't have a clue as to the toon's whereabouts since Joey had taken him. Leonard shook his away his brief admiration of the toon since he absolutely adored the character to take a closer look at the living toon. His hands ghosted the toons arms to the clasps and the rings that bound the devils hands and arms that still dripped with small amounts of ink from the wound. Since Bendy didn't seem to be responding to Leonard's presence, the man carefully fingered the rings that were driven through the toons hands. He found the little loops that held the rings closed and undid them and slowly slid one of the rings out of Bendy's hand causing the toon to jerk awake and bared large triangular teeth growling at Leonard, his teeth mere inches from his face.

“I-I'm t-trying to help you.” Leonard stuttered out, the man was spooked at his field of vision being filled with sharp teeth.

Bendy's growling continued till he looked at his hand and realized that it was no longer bound by the ring and two holes shown through where the ring were driven through. This man was helping him. A shaky smile crossed the toons face at his rescuer and he let out a small hum of appreciation. Leonard nodded in acknowledgment and started working on freeing the toons other hand and with a slow and steady tug freed the remaining hand of the ring. Bendy wanted to cry at the removal of the rings, but felt relieved when the objects were removed.

Leonard carefully looked at Bendy's injured hands and at the ink dripping from them. “Heh, too bad you're not fabric cause then I can try and stitch you back together like how Benny was.” He pulled out a handkerchief and patted the area around the holes being careful to not touch the actual injury itself. Bendy winced from the touches of his hand, but did his best to relax as Leonard cleaned him up.

“B-Benny? Who's that?” A small voice catching Leonard's attention and he turned to see Bendy looking at him strait in the eyes. 

He could have sworn the toon just spoke, but that couldn't be right. Bendy had no speaking roles in the shorts as he had no voice provider. “Did, did you just speak?” Leonard looked at Bendy with confusion all over his face, his answer was a small nod from the toon. The man chuckled and turned his attention back to the chains that bound the toon trying to undo them. “Well the answer to your question is Benny is kinda like a younger brother to ya in a weird way. He's a toon just like you except he was once a plush doll that was made to look like ya and was brought to life by the ink machine.”

“So how come yer all th' way down here?” Bendy quietly asked as Leonard grinned in triumph and loosening up the chains allowing bendy to rest his arms on the armrests of the throne. The toon breathed a sigh in relief at being able to rest his arms rather then having them suspended in the air.

“Well little Benny got scared and fled his room when someone destroyed it, so now my friends and I are trying to find him before Joey does.” as soon and Leonard's words left his mouth Bendy growled softly making Leonard tense up wide eyed at the toon.

“I hate that man.” Bendy growled through gritted edged teeth. “He did this to me.”

Leonard's shoulders drooped while he looked at the toon in pity and understanding, it was only natural for the toon's to despise the man since he has done nothing for them except cause them pain. “Well know you aren't the only one.” Leonard's voice causing Bendy to look at him. “Benny has stitches that run completely across his stomach, a wound given to him shortly after birth by Joey. That's why we are trying to get him out of here, and now that I found ya I'm gonna try an' get you out as well.” 

A small smile graced Bendy's face at the thoughts of freedom and the fact that there were people actually looking for him. He thought that no one cared for him and that no one would bother, but to hear that people actually did care and were even looking for him made a warmth bloom in his heart. He leaned his head over as far as he could comfortably go and gently nuzzled Leonard letting out a soft hum. “What's yer name?”

Leonard gently lifted a hand and ran his fingers between Bendy's horns before hopping off the platform and performed a small dace before taking a bow “My names Leonard Burn!” the man looked up at Bendy flashing a huge grin. “I'm a violinist and dancer here at the studio.”

Bendy looked at the man in shock at his performance before a chuckle escaped the toon as his characteristic grin grew on his face, his pie cut eye's locked with Leonard's. “Mah names Bendy. Bendy the Dancin' Demon.”

 

\----------Meanwhile Outside the Throne Room----------

 

Joey shakily stood up out of his chair to open the vault and pulled on the door just enough to fit his body and bucket between the gap before pushing against the door forcing it to completely open. Part of him hated the fact that the heart of the machine was hidden behind such heavy doors and fortification, but at the same time it was for the sole purpose of protecting his property even if at the moment it felt like the studio was fighting against him. He had no choice but to leave his wheelchair behind as for it wouldn't be able to cross the ink lake making him wonder why a bridge had not yet been built. Taking mental note to maim GENT later about the lack of access. Joey slowly and painfully waded across the ink lake with his muscles screaming with the resistance from the thick fluid, it was certainly harder to cross the stuff in comparison to water.

Upon reaching the shore at the base of the machine Joey strode to the hallway leading to the throne room were Bendy was housed with his bucket of ink and brush. Only one more circle to go.

 

\----------Meanwhile Inside the Throne Room----------

 

Leonard managed to loosen up the chains that bound Bendy, but lacked proper tools to completely free the toon, but at least the toon was more comfortable in the chair. The sounds of the door opening alerted both Leonard and Bendy as to another guest and the man dove down behind the chair in hopes that he wouldn't be found.

A silvery smooth yet taunting voice floated through the air “Ah, Bendy. How are we doing this fine morning?” Joey slowly strode up to the ink demon as Bendy was not paying the man any attention, his head turned away refusing to look at the man. “Still not very chatty I see.” Joey scoffed.

The man turned away from the toon and started to dip the brush into the bucket of ink and laid it on the floor slowly tracing the outline of the chair and throne. All the while Joey slowly went around the throne laying out the circle Leonard made sure to kept opposite of him using the chair to keep out of Joey's line of sight. The musician and couldn't help but wonder about the strange patterns being drawn beneath the toon's prison. Bendy grew weary at this new outline Joey was calmly adding on and didn't like the looks of what what going on. Each time Joey slowly rounded the throne with Leonard on the opposite side, the violinist would attempt to rub out small portions of the circle causing Joey to look in confusion as to why small portions of the circle were missing. He chalked it up to being exhausted from his 'research', the man shrugged and continued to lay out more of the circle all under Bendy's concerned gaze.

Bendy watched the small spectacle before him with concern and yet at the same time amusement at watching Joey slowly going round and round the throne and with each loop the older man looking more and more exhausted with the young man slowly following and erasing or smudging the strange inscriptions that were being painted on the floor. It was almost like a scene from a cartoon except in real life. Even Leonard flashed a grin as he quietly crept past Bendy trying to undo the marks on the floor gaining a equal grin from the ink demon.

Joey rounded the throne again and stared puzzled at the portions of the circle that he could have sworn he had just painted on. He bent down looking more carefully at the lines and noted a small smear on the end of some of the gaps. The man scoffed and pulled out a small bottle and poured out its contents, the black liquid almost gelatin like splattering upon the ground just past the circle. The man uttering a few small chants before picking up his brush and bucket once more while taking a glance at Bendy with a smirk before fixing the missing portions of the circle and then started to lay out the final touches. 

Bendy stared at the questionable fluid just past the circle and feared the worst from it as he could have sworn he saw small spasms and things moving within the fluid. He could only watch as Leonard slowly rounded the throne with the toon making a small whistle like whining trying to warn the man of the impending threat. His whines grew louder when he realized that the fluid was pulsing and was forming what resembled a hand and Leonard was none the wiser.

Bendy swallowed audibly and lightly struggled in his bondage trying to make more noise to gain Leonard's attention, failing he attempted whispering his name while looking at the man. “L-Leonard...Leonard”. The musician too caught up in his sabotaging the circle, he failed to notice the black material reaching for him. The man yelped when black tendrils burst out of the fluid and grabbed him. “Leonard!”

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” a sultry voice cooed as Joey slowly rounded the throne looking at Leonard who struggled in his restraints. “Why if it isn't my little musical friend I was looking for. I take it you've already met Bendy? He isn't exactly much to look at yet, but he will be.” The man patted the demon in question on the head getting a loud growl from him and bared teeth. “As you can see” Joey slapped Bendy on the side of the face extracting a whine from the toon. “He isn't well behaved and needs to treat his creator with respect.”

“Not that I can blame him.” Leonard frowned getting Joey to turn his attention towards the man.

“What did you say?” Joey lifted a brow as he stepped away from the throne and slowly walked towards Leonard giving the man a cold stare.

Leonard wanted to cower in fear as the mans frigid Grey eyes seemed to stare into his soul, but seeing Bendy struggling to free himself spurred him to stand his ground. “I said; not that I can blame him. You make him with the machine and then you tie him up all the way down here where he should be meeting the staff and most of all the children he was meant to entertain. Do you have any idea how many people and children wish they can meet their favorite little demon?” Bendy looked at Leonard wide eyed and the mans outburst, the musician looking at him dead in the eye before returning his gaze to Joey. “But no. He is forced to stay down here when he has done nothing wrong and you're not his creator! Henry is!” Leonard spat as he struggled in his binds. He was outraged that not only had Joey harmed Benny when he was a sweet little innocent toon, but seeing Bendy's condition and treatment lit the fires of rage in him. How dare someone hurt the cartoon character he loved so much.

“You're similar.” Joey sauntered up to Leonard being mere inches from the musician.

“W-what?” Leonard croaked.

Before Leonard could react Joey grabbed him by his hair and forced the man to look at the director dead in the eyes. “You show up out of nowhere and try to tell me what I can and cannot do like you own the place. I'm Joey drew, director and owner of this studio. I own him as much as I own everything here!” the older man bellowed in his face before quieting down giving a cold smile. “Just as much as I now own you.”

Leonard looked at him confused before a sharp pain radiated from his side. Joey released his hair allowing him to look down at the source of his pain seeing a knife embedded within his side between his ribs. Joey pulled out the knife and waved his hand causing the black liquid that had Leonard bound to drip off him and he collapsed to the floor like a puppet who lost his strings. He coughed and gasped for air as Joey scoffed at him before he cleaned the blood off his knife and slid it back into his cane.

“Leonard!” Bendy screamed at the man crumbled on the ground. “Joey what did you do to him!?” the toon turned his attention to Joey baring triangular teeth and struggled harder in his chains.

“Oh I punctured his lung, nothing to worry about.” Joey smiled darkly at Bendy. “Besides I need him alive long enough for the procedure, and not put up a fuss.” The director waved his had and whispered a few chants causing the black material that had dripped off Leonard to pool around him and drag his body off to the side and away from the throne, a trail of red and black following the injured musician. Taking opportunity to finish what he had started, Joey picked up the brush and repaired the smeared sections of the circle completing the initial ritual. 

“Joey please.” A voice catching the mans attention as he turned to look at Bendy whom had large tears dripping down his face as he looked desperately at Leonard and the blood collecting under him. “Please let him go. I promise I'll stay here willingly, and do whatever you want if you let him go. He's hurt and needs help. Please.” the toon sobbed and choked on his words each each word growing more desperate.

“See there is a little problem with that Bendy.” Joey walked up to him with his smile growing wider and wider. “I need him to make you complete.”

Joey turned around and removed himself from the throne and drew another circle on the floor just before the throne itself. He made a small motion and the black fluid grabbed Leonard by his arm causing the man to weakly cry out in pain and dragged him setting him atop the circle. He pulled out the “Illusion of Living” and flipped to a few pages within and chanted for the black liquid to gather around the two circles joining the two. Bendy looked up at Joey in fear as the cursed liquid encased the base of his chair and around Leonard. The director smirked and stood off to the side of the circles and cleared his throat.

“An object void of life is merely an object till animated with magic, but it's still and object with the illusion of living. I offer up the soul of the living to bring the object with the illusion of life to life!”

Upon the completion of his words the two circles glowed a blood red and the floor creaked and groaned as the ground seemed to be lurching from the energy of the circles. The room was filled with deafening rhythmic thumping of the Ink Machine itself as the device was responding to it's masters commands. Joey stood against the wall laughing maniacally as pipes descended from the ceiling as if possessed, the machine groaned as ink oozed out the pipes like blood from a wound. Leonard weakly looked up at the pipes descending above him and looked at Bendy whom was looking at him with pure terror on his face.

A small chuckle escaped Leonard as he smiled at Bendy “At least I got to finally meet you.” the man whispered before the ink pooled around him and grabbed onto him.

The black tendrils cut into the man extracting small cries as his punctured lung couldn't allow him to scream. The ink worked it's way into his body making his writhe in agony as it was slowly suffocating him. Bendy screamed and fought to free himself to help the man, but his struggles stopped when Leonard's body stilled and the ink pulled him into the puddle as if he was never there. He was gone. Bendy wailed at the loss of the man who only tried to help him, someone who came to him with the purest intentions was now gone. The toon didn't have long to mourn the loss of his would be friend and savior as the ink that had consumed the man flowed to his circle joining the patterns that encased him. His panic rose and gave way to sheer pain as the cursed ink rose to form tendrils and each one punctured his chest. The ink that was once Leonard was being forced into his body and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. Bendy's screams drowned out the sounds of the Ink Machine and Joey laughter as the man watched the ritual with glee.

Joey's laughter died down when he watched Bendy's body spasm violently causing the toons screams to cease as if he had been drowned in his own ink. The demon's ink dripped profusely as his body twitched and warped, his limbs and frame contorting to a figure that was more then twice his normal size and looked vaguely humanoid. His frame was skeletal like someone had taken a bucket of ink and poured it on a skeleton topped with a round horned head. His right hand looked like a humans with 5 fingers and no glove while his left hand retained it's tooney appearance and was far larger then his right. His body had spasm so violently that the ink that made up his right leg was bent at a awkward angle resembling a broken limb that healed wrong. The most disturbing part was the toon's face. Ink seemed to be constantly dripping over his eyes obscuring them and only the frown of his mouth was visible. The horrific form only lasted briefly before the toons body fell apart with all the excess ink falling off him in waves revealing a unconscious on model Bendy.

Before Joey approached the throne to check on the toon, he watched the excess ink that had washed off the toon pool at the base of the throne. The ink pulsed and vibrated before it was drawn back to the smaller circle where Leonard had been sacrificed. The ink bubbled and rose to form a vaguely humanoid figure. The creature was curled up and had a very prominent skeletal look and like the previous monster Joey had witnessed, this creature too had ink dripping down it's body. The creature twitched making Joey freeze in place to see what it was going to do, the man grasped his cane tightly on the off chance he had to fight. The creature slowly moved and looked down at its hands which were 4 fingered like a toon rather then 5 like a normal human being. It them began to inspect the rest of it's body slowly before curling in on itself sobbing softly.

The small click of Joey's cane drew the inky figures attention towards him and the man was horrified by what he saw. The face while clearly humanoid, lacked anything distinguishable. The mouth was a gaping maw that seemed to be frowning and there was no nose at all except for 2 small slits. The eyes were the most frightening as they were hollow sockets with small glowing yellow orbs and appeared to be crying.

“W-What did you do to me?” The creature quietly asked. All the color drained from Joey's face as he realized that the voice belonged to Leonard, the man was now some creature made of ink. He watched as the figure that was known as Leonard once again looked at his body before curling in on himself.

Joey stared at the figure. If this was indeed Leonard and he remembers what was done to him then that makes him a witness. If he's able to reach someone then he can expose him for what he did down here, he can't let that happen. Joey chanted lowly and waved his hand. The Ink Machine groaned in response and more ink oozed from it's pipes dripping onto the floor splashing loudly. Ebony Tendrils formed from the ink and wrapped around what remained of Leonard, the inky humanoid cried and screamed as it was dragged down the hall with Joey following behind. The tendrils dragged Leonard all the way out of the Ink Machine and to the ink lake at it's base pulling the tortured soul to it's surface. The shores of the lake thrashed at it's intruder, but was more then happy to consume it's offering. It greedily grabbed the poor soul and despite the man's struggles and effort it pulled him under with ease.

The surface of ink had long since quested while Joey watched with baited breath until he was dead certain the man would never see the light of day. He turned on his heel and hobbled back to the throne room in time to see the pipes of the machine slowly ascended back into the ceiling and the machines thumping died down to a quiet hum returning to it's normal operation. Joey scowled at the unconscious toon in the chair. He failed to find a compatible soul for the toon and needed to find someone else he had many candidates to choose from. Hell, he'll use everyone in the studio if he had to.

The man tucked the book back into his pocket before turning on his heel and strode out of the room turning off the light leaving only the glow of the projectors playing the cartoons on the walls who smiled sadly at the loss of one of the key band members who gave them their joyous music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Leonard, doomed to join the well of voices and we finally catch a glimpse of the Ink Demon. The studio is starting to crumble but the question is, how long will it last?


	8. On a Light's Trail Unaware of the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search is underway for the lost plushtoon, however a shadow is creeping in from behind ready to do whatever means necessary to achieve it's goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the rather long wait. I had many personal matters to attend to after the passing of a family member, the drama that follows as well as renovation projects of my home that's kept me rather busy. Not only all that but processing some of the things in the chapters.

\-------10 minutes before the opening of Joey Drew Studios--------

 

A lone figure drifted to the entrance of the studio and produced a ring of keys letting himself in, the man thought it was strange that there were a few cars ahead of him but wasn't about to give it much thought. He drifted down the darkened halls towards his supply closet to grab his trusty mop and bucket. 'Might as well get a head start' Wally thought to himself as he pulled out his keys to open his closet. The key slid into the lock and a soft click was the only sound in the hall except for the doors slow creak that followed. The Janitor turned the doorknob and upon opening the door there were black cords that looked almost like a spider's web had completely barred entry into the closet.

“What in the world?” Wally looked at the black material in confusion. He slowly edged his hand towards the black fibers cautiously and just as his finger grazed a cord, a black figure shot past him knocking him down earning a short scream from the startled man. He only saw a brief shadow before it disappeared down the darkened halls leaving the janitor shaking on the floor. He didn't have long to compose himself before the sound of shoes came up the hall followed by 2 lights.

“Who's there?” A gruff voice called out.

“I-It's me Wally!” The frazzled Janitor called out.

A light shone on the janitor as he picked himself off the ground and Allison and Thomas ran up to the man.

“What happened?” Allison looked the man over as he was a bit shaken after whatever happened.

“I dunno, I opened mah closet seein' what looked like a black spiders web, and the next thing I know something jumped out and ran away.” He gestured towards the end of the hall.

Tom and Allison lifted a brow as they looked at each other before Tom looked at the closet. “In here right?” The man gestured towards the open door earning a nod from Wally. The janitor stepped aside as Tom approached the door and shown his light into its room, what the light had revealed startled both Allison and Tom.

The light cast eerie shadows upon what strongly resembled a spiders web that had been haphazardly put together. The cords were black as the night and had a bit of an oily sheen to them that had Tom lifting a brow at the material, he had never seen anything like it before.

“What is that?” Allison's voice breaking the stunned silence of the trio.

“I don't know, I've never seen anything like it.” Tom replied as he looked around. “Wally do you have anything like a stick or rod?”

“umm..” The janitor patted himself down until he reached his tool belt and pulled out a wrench. “Will this help?” he held it out to Tom.

Tom looked at the tool and shrugged. “That will have to do.” He gingerly took the item from Wally cueing the janitor to step aside allowing Thomas to step forward to examine the ebony material, all the while Allison whispered for the man to be careful.

The wrench lightly grazed the black cords and a thin coating of black liquid was left behind when Tom drew back the wrench. He held it under his flashlight looking at the black fluid. Something about it was familiar and he held it under his nose and cautiously smelled the item. It was ink! The discovery made Tom snap his head back and without saying a word he tossed the wrench aside and dove his hands directly into the hive of threads frantically digging towards it's core.

“T-Tom what are you doing?” Allison looked at the man shocked. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt by whatever this material was and he just threw both arms in like it was nothing.

“It's ink.” The mechanic grumbled as he was pulling on the cords trying to reach it's center.

Both Allison and Wally looked at the man like he lost his mind as he feverishly dug at the material. “What do you mean 'it's ink'?” Allison finally spoke.

Tom grunted and groaned as his hands had finally grasped something solid and he pulled as hard as he could, causing Allison and Wally to step back as the man finally succeed in securing his prize ripping it out of the closet leaving a trail of black cords and ink oozing all over the floor. The object looked like a black oval made dozens of the black cords all woven together resembling a silk cocoon with a few loose threads hanging off it. Tom held up the strange cocoon like structure before Allison and Wally who looked at it in a mix of confusion and fear.

“It's ink.” Tom repeated himself gesturing to the object in his hands. “Whatever this is, it's made of ink.” Tom's head snapped in the direction of Wally. “You said something jumped out at you when you opened the closet, correct?”

“Man I dunno what's going on but I'm getting outta here.” Wally started to back up, but before he got anywhere he soon found himself being backing into the wall by the mountain known as Thomas. The mechanic pinned the janitor against the wall under his glare and size difference.

“I'm saying that when you opened up the door something came out of this,” Tom held up the remains of the cocoon that seemed to be melting into a puddle in the man's hands. “And ran past you. Where did it go?”

Wally whimpered and simply gestured in the direction of the last time he saw movement of whatever gave him the jump scare. Before he had a chance to ask, Tom ditched him and went running down the halls towards the direction he had pointed. Allison looked at him briefly and told him to 'clean up the mess' and went running after her husband. He had now found himself alone in the dimly lit hallway with nothing more than a large ink puddle on the floor and his supply closet completely stained black. His eyes looked towards what had remained of the strange object Tom had pulled out of the closet and the only thing that remained of it were almost hair like threads floating in the liquid. A small sigh escaped the janitor as he eyed the mess on the floor and his closet. What a way to start the morning.

 

\-------------------

 

Allison had forgotten how fast her husband could be at times as she was struggling to keep up with the man. “Tom what's gotten into you!?” She shouted after him

“That was Benny!” The man ran down the halls checking various doors looking for any that were unlocked.

“How can you be so sure?” Allison caught up to him when he finally found an open room and proceeded to turn it completely inside out. She watched him ravage through its contents in a frantic search only going for any spots with ink while ignoring any clean areas. She could only watch in amazement as hurricane Thomas swept through the room.

“That was all made out of ink.” Tom briefly stopped to look at her. “That was like a cocoon made out of ink. Has he ever done something like that before?” He walked up to his wife after trashing the room, a clear scowl on his face at not locating his prize.

Allison's thoughts drifted through her memories of the plushtoon and she remembered a brief moment of Giovanni teaching him how to use the needle and thread she had in her sewing kit that Benny had held onto for her. When Giovanni had taken a length of thread to show him how to sew, Benny pulled out thread of his own from his hammerspace that looked a bit different from Giovanni's. “I-I think he's done that before.” she walked up to her husband. “He was being taught how to sew by Giovanni and he pulled out his own set of thread from his hammerspace since Gio had the spool.”

Tom listened to her story and started to walk back towards the entrance of the room. “I see. He can somehow create his own thread which is probably something that only he can do since he was a toy. He had made himself a hideaway using his own ink.” The man exited the room with Allison right behind him. “Then that is gonna make our search harder.” Tom scowled pacing down the dim hall.

“How much harder?” Allison looked at him worried. She couldn't think that the toon's newfound abilities would make it harder to find him.

“Think about it.” Tom repeatedly trying various doors as he spoke. “The staff here avoids ink like the stuff is the plague. It he truly can create inky threads and in turn make the cocoon I just saw, then he can hold up shop anywhere. The dripping ink from the threads would pool at its base and people would in turn avoid it not realizing that there isn’t a pipe nearby to cause such a leak. Plus he might be able to pull objects around himself so the cocoon itself doesn’t stand out.

“What do you mean?” Allison lifted a brow.

“Have you ever heard of the 'trapdoor spider'?” Tom opened up a door that was unlocked and proceeded to search with Allison right behind him.

“Yeah I have, why?” Allison looked through shelves alongside her husband.

“Well that cocoon reminded me of a trapdoor spiders nest. I used to see them all the time as a young man and the cocoon had a sort of opening like a lid, but the thing was melting in my hand too fast so I couldn't get a good look at it.” Tom scowled as he finished searching the room and left with Allison behind him.

“Ok. So if that's the case what does that mean?” She asked him as he gently ran his fingers along some of the shelving that occasionally lined the halls.

“That means he can use something to act as a lid and have a home behind it, and no one would be none the wiser. Example like a crate. An object like that is normal here at the studio and seeing ink around them isn't all that unusual so no one touches them, but if you open them you'll only find art supplies or tools right?” Tom asked looking over his shoulder at Allison getting a nod. “Imagine opening a crate and instead of getting an art supply you get a spiders den with said spider in it. I suspect that's what happened to Wally when he opened the door to his supply closet. Benny was using the space as a sort of hideout and when Wally opened the door, he opened the lid to his nest and he booked it.”

Realization hit Allison and her eyes grew wide. “So now he's gonna be looking for a new place to hide and it isn't gonna be obvious to the staff since it would look like an everyday item.” Her own words were ones she had to admit she didn't want to hear. She had hoped that finding him would be easy since the toon wasn't familiar with the studio and that he could be lured out with food, but with this new addition of his thread like ability it was going to be far more difficult than she initially thought.

Tom could see the look of despair in his wife's eyes and turned to her placing his hands on her shoulders making her look at him. “Look it's harder, but also easier. Now that we know what he can do, and in a way it narrows down the search.” He gave her a small reassuring smile. “People will avoid the ink, we just need to seek it. Find a collection of ink and we'll find him.”

Allison nodded and before they could do anything the dim lights above all turned on causing both of them to flinch. Tom cursed at realizing time was up and that the studio was getting ready to welcome it's staff to begin the day's operation. Both looked at the hallways that seemed to stretch endlessly and lamented that they had to give up the search, for now. The couple hid out in Allison's dressing room until they heard the sounds of staff filtering throughout the halls telling them that it was safe to come out of their hiding spot and to start the day. Tom gathered up his tools and disappeared down the halls to tend to the ink machine leaving Allison to gather up her things and begin her day in the music department.

 

–---- At the Music Department -------

 

The band slowly filed into the music depart with it's normal melodious sounds replaced by grunts and groans as the group shuffled about to their respective positions. Much of the band was still trying to recover from their early morning run around the studio and were thankful that Norman was the only smart one to pack a few jars of cold coffee as the group collected their respective jars before Sammy arrived. Earl and Edgar fought over theirs, but when Giovanni threatened to take it from them and to drink it himself, they relented and shared. Allison was the last to arrive to the Music department out of their group of friends leaving several of the band members wondering where their young and very energetic violinist had run off to. They didn't have time to inquire as Sammy sauntered into the department looking worse for wear and grumbling under his breath.

The music director looked about the room at the band members present and noted the lack of his usual nuisance in the morning. “Where is Mr. Burn?” The man asked the group.

“Umm, we were just about to ask you, sir.” Aaron's voice sounding from the rear. “We have yet to see him at all this morning.” The group nodding at the man's statement.

Sammy lifted a brow and scowled, while he may not have cared for the too energetic for his tastes young musician, the man was an excellent violinist and they didn't have the luxury of waiting for him to magically show up. Sammy let out a groan while brushing his hair back. “Aaron you know how to play the violin correct?” the man nodded in response. “Allison you can play the piano correct?” the woman nodded in turn. “Good, Aaron you'll play the violin and Allison you'll play the piano until he decides to show up. Hurry up we don't have all day.”

Aaron quickly removed himself from his bench while shooting Allison a worried glance as she was returning the look. Their band wasn't very large and to have a member suddenly go missing was very worrisome considering the group's early morning frolic. They didn't have the luxury of arguing with their already irritated musical director as Aaron grabbed a spare violin and proceeded to check it's tuning while Allison fingered through the sheet music for the piano. The rest of the band in particular Edgar and Earl looked onward worried about the lack of their 3rd member of their 'terrible trio', the boys whispering amongst themselves before the harsh tapping of Sammy's baton forcing them to pay attention to the man.

“We'll do a few more rehearsals than normal since clearly we are lacking in a member right now, so I want you all to give it your best shot. Allison You'll have to sing and play at the same time. I'm sorry but we don't have any other choice at the moment. Everyone play like you mean it.” Sammy addressed the group before throwing his hands and striking up the band.

The group practiced several times with both Aaron and Allison doing their best to adjust to their temporary roles. Sammy was irritated at the slight difference in the quality of the music that was being played, but with them down a person he wasn't exactly in the mood to argue too much as musician's don't grow on trees. He couldn't help but wonder himself as to where his normal thorn in his side was. Despite Leonard's very lax personality, when it came to music the man was a professional and was always early. He had never missed a day of work so this was a first, and was surprised that he had not been informed of the man calling in sick. He scowled and was dead certain Joey would be unwilling to bring in a back up, even if it was temporary, as the man was too cheap to even afford new instruments for the band. Each instrument within the department were broken or damaged and Joey had the audacity to have Sammy sit and repair each and every single one before hiring a proper band.

Norman watched from his balcony at the band below, he felt pity on the group trying to adjust to the sudden loss of a member. They all were playing their best, but to him he could hear the worry that coated the notes of their music. Even he was worried himself as he occasionally glanced at the moving pictures of Bendy and his friends on the screen behind the band. What could have happened to Leonard? Despite the man's very lax and lively view on life as a whole, he was always very punctual as he always believed that 'if you're early you're on time, if you're on time you're late'. He could only hope that the man didn't get into too much trouble. He would have to make it a point of checking things out later when Joey is busy.

The band played for 5 hours working on perfecting the piece to Sammy's tastes, they only stopped playing when Norman shut the projector off shouting at them to go have lunch cause 'he ain't playin' no more reels till he eats somthin' or someone.'. Sammy scowled at the man, but knew he couldn't keep the group going on an empty stomach, he even felt his own stomach protesting telling him it's time to eat.

“Allright everyone we'll stop here and we'll begin recording when we return.” Sammy addressed the band putting away his baton.

The group let out a collective sigh and watched as Sammy cleaned up his sheet music and left the room to go eat. As soon as everyone was dead sure that Sammy was long gone the immediately clustered in the center of the department chatting amongst themselves.

“Where's Leonard? Has anyone seen him?” Allison asked from her seat on the piano bench.

“Ah 'now I sure as 'ell ain't seen 'im.” Norman grumbled in between bites of his sandwich. “Normally th' boy be jumpin' all over th' place gettin' on mah nerves.”

Aaron nodded “You're not the only one.” Giovanni nodded beside the man. “It's strange though, where the heck could he have gone?”

“Maybe we should talk to Tom?” Allison spoke up. “He knows the workings of the place fairly well since he's built so much in it. Plus he has access to areas that we don't.”

The group nodded while both Edgar and Earl fidgeted in their seats exchanging glances. They remember seeing Leonard ride the ink machine down a shaft when they were searching the holding area for the Bendy-Land amusement park. Could that have really been the last place he was seen? What became of him when he rode the machine all the way down? What lies below and is Leonard hurt and can't get back out? What if he's stuck? The 'what ifs' danced through the pair’s heads as they whispered between each other.

“if ya got somethin' t' share wit' th' class, go on ahead.” Norman's voice breaking the two boys out of their whisper fest. The man noting the constant whispers between them.

Earl was about to speak when a random staffer came into the music hall. “Earl and Edgar Sheean!” The group turned to look at the man. “Joey wishes to speak with you.”

Earl and Edgar looked at each other confused before they glanced back at the band.

“Bes' not t' keep th' man waitin'” Norman shrugged.

Everyone looked onward confused as to why Joey would suddenly want to speak to the twins, especially after one of their members went missing earlier in the day. No one said a word as they watched the pair follow the man out of the music department and to go speak with their boss. As the twins left Sammy reentered the department surprising everyone as he carried a Bendy cutout and placed it in the corner amongst the rest of the small accumulating pile. The director noticed that the band was watching him turned to the group.

“Oh so you all know, Joey will be bringing in some back-up musicians. The twins had an 'family emergency' and they are heading home to deal with the matter so we will have 3 additional musicians to fill in Leonard's spot as well as the twins. For now rest up and eat, cause once lunch is over we will have 2 rehearsals before recording.” his words were met with a series of nods or 'ok’s' as he once again took his leave of the department.

“Family emergency my ass” Aaron scoffed crossing his arms.

“I'm with you there.” Giovanni nodded along with Norman.

“Guys we don't have proof that Joey was involved with Leonard's disappearance. For all we know he's horribly lost, you all saw the size of the map that Tom carried. The place is huge underground.” Allison tried to reason with the group. She had to admit that even she was growing more and more concerned about her missing friend. The studio was a maze more ways than one and as far as she knew the band mostly kept to the upper 2 floors as there is no real reason to venture beyond that. With the revealing of the map that Tom kept even she was shocked at how large the studio really was, but there was also an equally pressing matter. “Plus we have a new problem.” she looked downwards trying to find her words.

“Now what? We're down the idiot trio and we still have little Benny to find.” Aaron groaned looking at Allison.

Allison sighed “About that, it's Benny that's the problem.” The group looked at her in a mix of shock and confusion.

“Wha' do ya mean?” Norman politely asked.

“See when Tom and I were checking the upper levels we had heard a shout from one of the hallways. When we investigated the source it turned out to be Wally, the man claiming that something had jumped out at him from his supply closet. Tom checked the closet to discover that it was covered in dozens upon dozens of black threads and a dark liquid.” Allison explained.

“So what was it?” Giovanni lifted a brow.

“Turns out it was ink.”

“Ink?!” the group all spoke at once looking at Allison in shock.

“Gio, remember when you were teaching Benny how to sew and he pulled out his own set of thread?” The man nodded in response wondering where she was going with her statements. “Well according to Tom it was threads made out of ink. Benny somehow figured out how to make threads using his ink and had covered wally's supply closet in them. Tom described what Benny's behavior like a trapdoor spider. He'll encase his immediate surroundings in his inky threads to create a sort of nest to hide in. Problem is Benny is small and can hide in many places with the only hint that he might be there is the ink that drips from the threads.”

“So 'ow exactly are we t' find the boy?” Norman pointed out with the rest of the group mumbling similar inquiries.

“Well like any trapdoor spiders nest there is a 'lid'” Allison pulled out a piece of blank paper and drew on the back of it. Drawing a loose diagram of a cave and a lid. “I think the only way to tell if Benny is inside is to look for the threads as you open it, but it has to be slowly. Wally just opened his door normally and the little demon jumped out at him and ran away, so he must have something that lets him know his den is being disturbed.”

“Trip lines” a gruff voice broke the groups focus on Allison with everyone turning to look at Thomas whom had entered the music hall. “He has to have some sort of trip line that lets him know of distant trouble. The trip lines would vibrate alerting the owner as to disturbances nearby that's how trapdoor spiders work.” the group looked at the man with worry before turning to themselves as they processed the new information.

“So in other words.” Giovanni's voice breaking the silence. “The little one can 'set up shop' if you will, in any place around the studio and his threads would keep it nice and tight so no one would be none the wiser unless you open it up and he pops out like a jack-in-the-box. Great.” the man groaning as he ran his hand along the side of his face.

“It's not as bad as you think” Tom's voice drawing Giovanni to look at him.

“How?” The bass player deadpanned.

Tom gave a small confident smile. “Well for starters his treads have to take a lot of ink so he's gonna need to resupply. Any areas that's is coming up short of ink or food disappearing should be an indicator that he's nearby cause of his apparent large appetite. Plus the threads leak ink so while a crate with ink on it's bottom isn't unusual here, it helps narrow down places to search. If it's clean of ink it's a no go, but if there's ink it warrants a careful investigation since Benny spooks easily and runs, as Wally found out the hard way.”

“Did Wally see tha' it was lil' Benny?” Norman nervously inquired. The last thing he wanted was the studios biggest gossip hound to find out about the toon and spread the news like it's going out of fashion.

Tom laughed at Normans question earning a confused look from the projectionist along with the inquiry of 'what's so funny?'. Once Tom's laughter died down to mere chuckle's he finally spoke. “Wally is so knee deep in work right now he doesn't have time to gossip. He kept going on about how if he had to do my workload and his that he's 'outta here'.” Tom mocking Wally's accent towards the last of his statement earning small giggles from the group. “And besides. I don't think he saw Benny cause it was dark and he only saw a shadow jump out at him, he never once mentioned seeing any color.”

“Yeah that sounds about right” Aaron laughed. “At least he's kept out of our hair for awhile and he won't have the time to gossip. The less that guy knows the better.”

The group unanimously agreed and resumed chatting amongst themselves while eating their lunches, trying to savor the remaining time they had during their lunch.

 

\----- Meanwhile at Joey's office ------

 

The rustling of papers was the only subtle sounds within the office until a knock at the door gained Joey's attention. “You may come in.” the man answered.

The door slowly creaked open to both Edgar and Earl sheepishly peering into the office with Earl stepping forward. “You wished to speak with us sir?”

“Ah Gentleman come in, come in!” Joey smiled as he rose from his desk and carefully edged around it to greet the boys shaking their hands eagerly. “Thank you gentleman for coming to see me. I have something I wish to discuss, but not here.” Joey paused and looked around cautiously “As they say walls have ears. Would you gentleman be so kind as to follow me to my new office?”

“New office?” Edgar looked perplexed at the statement. He had never heard of a 2nd office for Joey Drew.

Joey turned to look at him excitedly “Why yes! Our lovely studio is in the process of expanding to new heights and I've decided to move my office to a lower level to clear up some space on the upper floors for new staff. I'd rather shoulder the burden of the studio's weight rather then make some poor employees suffer by traveling to lower levels, but come, this best be discussed elsewhere.”

Joey urged both young men to leave the office locking it behind them before they traveled down the halls to the elevator. The studio seemed eerily silent as they passed through the halls, almost as if everyone abandoned the building leaving it to it's fate at the hands of its owner. Joey unlocked the gate drawing it open and ushered the boys within closing it behind them. With the push of a button they were descending into lower levels of the studio.

A captive audience now secured Joey decided to break the sounds of the creaking and moaning elevator ride. “So boys.” his voice causing Edgar and Earl to look away from the gaps in the grate to look at him. “Tell me, what is your dream within this studio? What goals do you boys have?” he smiled while leaning gently on his cane.

Edgar looked at Earl before speaking. “Sir, my dream is to be the best drummer and musician out there. To wow the crowds with my beat and to see 'em dancing and having fun.”

Earl followed up. “I love to see people dancin' and swaying with my music and seein' them hop to and fro with a spring in their step. Music is the sounds of life after all.”

Joey nodded as he listened to the boy's tales of their upbringing growing up in a household that was poor and even poorer after the stock market crash. That the only thing they had between them was their instruments that were handed down from their Grandfather who traveled to America seeking a better life. The Irishman had a rough time starting out in the states, but was a hard worker and persistent. He believed in working hard and enjoying what you do no matter how minuscule it was. He had a spring to his step as he brought the music of his home with him and taught it to them when their father passed away from the influenza several years ago as their mother had passed away from childbirth. They used the music of their upbringing along with music they had listened to in the streets to better themselves and use their music as a means of an income to help ease the burden on their aging grandfather whom was still working. Throughout the course of their stories the elevator came to a stop jolting slightly as a signal that they had reached their destination.

“Ah, we are here gentleman.” Joey grinned as he opened the gate allowing the two young men to exit before himself.

Earl and Edgar stared in awe at the new administration level. It was a lot fancier than the one upstairs and was far more accommodating to guests and was quite spacious. It had a more roomy feel rather than the more cramped upper floors and they were able to see why Joey was proud of this expansion.

“Impressive, isn't it?” The director chuckled at watching the twins gawk at the halls before them. “This way please.” Joey drifted down the hall towards his new office with a large placard that read 'Joey Drew'. He opened up his office and lead them inside. “Sit down boys and make yourselves comfortable.”

Earl and Edgar took the man up on his offer and seated themselves at the couch that looked very new and they found it to be far more comfortable in comparison to the chairs and couches on the upper levels. They practically let out a happy sigh as they sank into the cushions. While the two men were enjoying the accommodations Joey rummaged around his desk pulling out a bucket filled with ice and several bottles of pop resting within them. The drinks caught the boys attention as they looked towards their boss with confusion gaining Joeys attention and a small chuckle.

“I heard you boys enjoyed these beverages and after all what type of host would I be if I didn't accommodate my guests?” The man set the bucket down on the table before the twins gesturing for them to take one. “Go on and take one. Enjoy the drinks while I get some papers that I'd like you boys to take a look at.”

The twins nodded and helped themselves to the colorful drinks happily popping the caps off with a satisfying pop before downing the beverages while Joey fiddled with some papers on his desk. The director cracked a small smile behind his papers as the boys finished their drinks and looked up at him ready to deal with whatever the director had planned.

“Now then boys lets cut to the chase.” Joey addressed the two. “I have a little project that I have been working on the side lines and it needs to have a little 'life' put into it and I would like to know if I can get some opinions from some such as you who are young and would know our audience better than I.”

“oh, uuh sure!” Edgar chirped before he was hit with a wave of nausea. “wh-what?” The young man swayed in his seat as the world spun around him and watched helplessly as his brother collapsed on the table next to him, his strength fading as exhaustion was overtaking him. Edgar managed to catch himself just before he hit the table, but the rest of his body was unresponsive and laid all over the floor. He blearily looked up at Joey who's grin rivaled the smiling devil of the studio before his world swirled to black.

Joey glanced at his watch with a small scowl taking mental note that drugging the soda drinks and waiting for the beverage to take effect took longer then he would have liked. No matter, he still had time to do what was needed to be done before everyone went back to work. He was just thankful the boys didn't notice the lack of the hissing sound that an undisturbed drink makes. With a bit of concentration and incantation he summoned up his creature of ink finding that the more he used it the more a solid form it seemed to take. Instead of it being a blob of tendrils and oozing ink it had taken on an almost rodent like form with a serpentine tail and tendrils that formed a mane around it's neck and down parts of its back. He willed it to take the boys to the throne room where the circle was, the beast nodded in response. The creature tried to travel through the ink attempting to pull the two young men behind it and to it's dismay it couldn't take them with it and made a small whining sound irking Joey.

“Through the door!” Joey shouted at the beast making it flinch before it grabbed both twins by their waists and dragged them off leaving behind a frustrated Joey.

The man rubbed his temples to stave off an oncoming headache. It was going to be cumbersome to have to trick people into coming to the lower levels just to have to drag them to the circle on the off chance that these two boys weren't what was needed for Bendy to be complete. God he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. It was already hard enough to keep Bertie's staff away from the area with them constantly demanding access to other sections of the studio and Thomas had sent GENT away telling them that the majority of the job was done. Ha! What a laugh riot. GENT left sections of the studio unfinished as many passageways were dead end halls or only had timbers to support them like some random mine somewhere, but then again Thomas and GENT were only called in to work on the Ink Machine not to do every little upgrade the studio needed. Joey let out a sigh and slowly removed himself from his chair to follow the trail of ink that the beast had left behind.

Joey once again entered the cavern housing the Ink Machine and grumbled as he stood at the shores of the massive Ink Lake with the Ink Machine beyond it. This was another thing that he hoped he wouldn't have to do again. Crossing the moat always left him more tired then he'd like to admit to and his leg would ache for hours afterwards. Before he was about to step foot into the inky abyss the machine groaned and grumbled catching Joey's attention. Pipes rose from the bottom of the lake breaching the inky surface and slowly the twisted and twined around each other while Joey backed away in fear of what was going on. One by one the pipes rested against each other forming a bridge across the moat and waited patiently for it's owner. Laughter bubbled up out of Joey’s throat as he marveled at the bridge before him and the machine that seemed to respond to his will. Perhaps at last he will finally have his perfect Bendy.

Renewed energy coursed through Joeys body as he hastily made his way across the moat with ease looking up at the machine with a sense of pride, strength and satisfaction. The Machine had been designed and filled with magic that at the time of it's creation he didn't fully understand. He copied many circles and inscriptions into the core of the machine from the various sections of the book along with some of his blood. He wasn't an expert in magic, but knew that the spells came at a price, that for now he was getting the rewards before he pays his dues. When that time comes he has thousands to offer up as payment since he would have no need for the extra people anymore, they would have served their purpose. Surely the machine will gladly take as many as it needs to equate the price of one.

Glee filled his heart as he saw ink pumping through the glass tubes that lined it's halls to the throne room, the machine was getting ready for the next ritual.

 

\---- Meanwhile Above ----

 

Tom drifted throughout the ink machine room checking various crates, shelving and any small space between the pipes. His thoughts were filled with the memories of holding Benny and couldn't help but wonder where the little toon had disappeared to without being seen by anyone thus far. His not so quiet ransacking of the room was met with a knock on the doorway drawing his attention to the entrance to see a heavy set man wearing a gaudy suit that looked like a Broadway performers costume sporting a long mustache that was curled at the end and a colorful top hat that looked too small for his head. The man known as Bertrum Piedmont.

An irritated sigh escaped Tom's lips. “What?”

“What indeed.” The man waddled into the room scowling at Thomas ,waltzing right up to him jabbing a chubby finger in Thomas's chest. “Thanks to the ineptitude of your staff, Joey had restricted my teams access to our warehouse and work area and to make matters worse our entire stockpile of experimental bendy themed candies and snacks have all gone missing.”

Tom rolled his eyes at the mans commentary about the candies and snacks missing, naturally he would be the only one who would care given his size. The more Tom listened to Bertrum’s bemoaning the missing items and all the work that they put into making sure they were the highest quality sweets possible, the more his eyes went wide at the about sheer quantity the missing items. Tom grabbed Bertrum by his shoulders shutting the heavy set man up. “Did you say ALL of the experimental candies and snacks were gone?”

Bertrum looked at Thomas annoyed “Unhand me.” the man shrugged Tom's hands off allowing Bertrum to take a step back from the mechanic and brush off his shoulders. “Yes We had been making many types of candies and sweets for the amusement park alongside the rides for which all were to get approval by Mr. Drew. Now I have only the rides for show for my efforts as somehow our entire stockpile of the food is gone. Do you have any idea how far this sets us back?”

“Yeah, yeah I”m sure.” Tom rolled his eyes irritating Bertrum. “How large of a stock pile did you have?”

Bertrum huffed and reached into his breast pocket pulling out a small note pad and monocle before proceeding to read. “ 15 pounds of Bendy chocolates, 10 pounds of cotton candy, 2 bags of 50 piece Alice angel candies, one of our newest treats and the pinnacle of confectionery craft the Boris bones a gummy candy and 30lbs of those are gone, and all the stored drinks are all gone. The only thing that was left was the popcorn kernels for which there was a large tear in the bag and they were spilled everywhere. I demanded information as to whether or not the studio has rats and no one said there were any so that leaves someone stole them. I fail to understand how such a large quantity can simply vanish overnight, Few have access to the lower levels and I want to know if you have seen or heard anything about it?”

Tom couldn't believe the amount of food that had suddenly gone missing, the amount of food that disappeared would have anyone screaming for the infirmary or a toilet, that only leaves one last option. Benny. Allison had eluded to the toon's appetite and since no staffer as reported a lost lunch so that only leaves the food that is within the studio itself. He had yet to hear of any of the stock piles of bacon sound that had been left around being eaten meaning that Benny may not recognize them as a food source or he doesn't eat them, nor could he blame him. The candies and snacks would be a perfect lure since the sweet smell would draw him out. Tom spun on his heel looking over his shoulder before leaving “Nope, haven't heard a thing. Thanks Bertie.” The man sped out the room hearing Bertrum shouting 'That's Bertrum!'.

Tom raced down the halls towards the elevator with renewed vigor and determination. Benny had to have gotten to the lower levels somehow and had found a food source at Bertrum's shop. Tom practically threw himself into the elevator closing it's gates and hit the button to take him to the lower levels. His decent down was not nearly fast enough for his tastes, but given the fact that the elevator was working somewhat smoothly and not dropping him into an unknown pit was his small saving grace. When the elevator lurched and came to a stop opening up it's gate for it's rider to exit, Tom tore out of it like a missile as he ran down the halls leading to the park's workshop and storage area. To his dismay there were workers there and not a single one of them seemed at all pleased at Tom's sudden intrusion. Some of them even seemed to be on the defensive and not allow him much further into the workshop despite his protests. He wouldn't help but wonder what got their goat going, he knew it was the luncheon period, but that was no excuse to chase him off with near violence.

Taking his losses at the main entrance to the workshop Tom decided to sneak in on the sides were there were fewer staff. He was thankful that the side entrances were empty and it allowed him to circle around the freshly built booths and unfinished rides. He moved towards the back of the rides and spotted Bertrum’s pride and joy that was nearly complete, the octopus ride. He personally wasn't fond of those sort of rides and was about to keep walking when something at the base of the ride caught his attention. The center portion of the ride which normally held several massive mirrors so the patrons could see themselves as they went around was hollow as the mirrors hadn't been installed yet. At the core of the pillar was dozens upon dozens of black cords that were clinging to the doors that had been opened and at the base was a black cocoon that was slowly melting. Benny was here!

Tom ran to the base of the ride climbing up on it's frame as best he could to scour the heart to see if Benny was inside. To his dismay the toon was not there and the cocoon was slowly falling apart as his hands had dug through its core. Benny was here, but how long ago? Did the staff know he was here? Tom removed himself from the ride and scurried around the booths seeking out any lone staffer that he might be able to pin and get some answers from. He saw one of the booths that read 'concessions' and crept behind the stand to see the stand was completely empty except for a bendy shaped trash can in the corner that was overflowing with empty wrappers and bags. He opened the can and pulled out a few of the bags and held one of them up to the light to examine it better. The corner of the bag was bitten off by something sharp and left triangular marks almost like a shark had gotten a hold of the bag. Tom couldn't hide the look of confusion on his face as he turned the bag over in his hands and then pulled out a few more that bore similar marks. What did this? The marks are too large to be a humans, but surely this couldn't have been done by Benny, could it? In theory the toon's teeth are flat just like how Bendy is drawn in the cartoons.

Taking a glance at the bag Tom decided to pocket one of the empty bags and carefully crept out of the booth and back out into one of the larger work areas. To his surprise this area was full of various games and towards the end of the hall was an elevator shaft with something moving within. He narrowed his eyes at the shaft confused at the movement within until the ink machine passed the grate as made its slow descent to the levels below. This got Tom's attention. The ink machine doesn't move on it's own and let alone who is moving it? The man didn't have long to look a the now empty shaft before the angry shout of one of Bertrum's staffers sent him heading back to the elevator to leave.

 

\---- In the throne room ----

 

Bendy laid lifelessly on the throne with his eyes firmly shut refusing to acknowledge anything in the room. Even when the door creaked open filling the room with it's whines Bendy refused to acknowledge it. Every time that door opened it wasn't to free him, it was just a means to an end to add onto the hell he was a prisoner in. The young man, Leonard, was the only one who tried to help him and that got the man killed and sent to the ink. The noises within the room weren't the normal sounds of footsteps as they were wet splashing sounds along with what sounded like something was dragging. This encouraged Bendy to open his eyes and see what exactly was going on in the room and the sight before him feel nothing but dread in his stomach.

An inky black creature that Bendy didn't recognize was in the room, the beast was slithering across the floor dragging two unconscious young men. The creature briefly looked at him before a toothy sneer graced it's rat like head before setting the two boys on the circle. Bendy instantly knew what was going to happen, not again! The toon struggled in his bindings shouting at the young men trying to wake them with neither moving. His shouts and pleas for them to wake up and run stopped when he heard a familiar yet unwelcome voice.

“Now, now Bendy. There's no need to shout.” The silvery smooth yet menacing voice sounded from behind his chair. Bendy turned as best he could to see Joey Drew stepping around his chair as the man lightly wobbled on his cane before coming to a stop in front of Bendy.

“Let them go, please.” Bendy softly spoke, his eyes looking up at Joey searching for any signs of humanity within the cold shell of a man. His only answer was the mans silver unflinching eyes boring holes into him before he turned to walk to the circle. “Please, Joey! Don't do this! They haven't done anything to you, It doesn't matter who you bring because the results will be the same. I am who I am! Just let them go. I don't care if you leave me here, but there is no need to try and drag others down thinking it will fix something that was never broken!”

This got the mans attention as he stepped away from the circle with a clear scowl on his face before storming up to the base of the throne with his eyes glaring down at the toon. Joey grabbed Bendy by his lower jaw and forced him to look at the man. “I never said you were 'broken', I said you were incomplete as you are a mere mockery of Bendy. You look like him, but don't act like him. You're hollow with nothing inside to make you who you are supposed to be.” Joey maliciously spat.

Bendy narrowed his eyes in anger with a frown on his face. “what you see is what you get Drew, I am myself and nothing you can do can change that.”

“Hmph, and what I see is an empty shell pretending it has emotions.” Joey shoved Bendy's head back onto the chair before the man removed himself from the circle.

Joey began his chant and like before the machine responded to it's master, bleeding ink from it's walls the ink cascading down to the floor and was drawn towards the circles like snakes. Bendy watched in horror and sorrow as the ink rose around the two boys like scythes,but turned his head to keep from seeing them being torn apart and turned to ink. The mental images of Leonard's demise still fresh in his mind, but this time at least the boys were asleep and he had hoped they didn't feel it. When he opened his eyes he saw only the inky remains of two young men whom he never knew and the grim fact that now it was his turn to feel the pain of their sacrifice. The inky plunged it's way into Bendy's core nearly drawing a scream from the toon, but he didn't, he wasn't going to give Joey the satisfaction.

This time Bendy didn't pass out from the ritual and was very aware of what was being done to his body. He watched as his body contorted and grew to an almost skeletal humanoid shape while barely retaining his left hand, head and bow tie. The pain was agonizing as the magic of the ritual was coursing through his body, but the only thing that was keeping him awake was rage. He was furious that this man was killing innocent people sacrificing them to the ink to fulfill some foolish ideology. The pathetic belief that he was a hollow toon because he didn't dance to his predetermined script. He was never hollow to begin with as he was his own toon. He had a heart, mind and soul that belonged to him and him alone, he didn't need anything else. This man's murdering good people for his own gain and needs to be stopped.

Despite the inky veil blotting out most of Bendy's vision he took a small glance at his now much longer left arm and realized that Joey may now be in his reach. He's going to make that man pay. It took all the demons strength to push past the pain and to focus on maintaining his monstrous unnatural form as it was his added size and strength he needed to carry out his deed. He willed his arm to move, silently thankful that Leonard had undone the clasps on his hands and cautiously flexed his fingers slowly moving his hand all the while that Joey was focused elsewhere. The beast next to Joey watching Bendy all the while with an eerie satisfied grin on it's face.

Joey scowled at the form Bendy has assumed again at the introduction of a soul and this time it was 2 souls. Were they not the right ones or was it not enough? The man turned around and pulled out his black book fingering through its contents, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong. There was one thing he was sure of; dragging people all the way to the depth was a major pain and he wondered if it were possible to do the deed that needed to be done from a distance, let alone on a larger scale. His fingers floated through the pages until it landed on several sister circles that could suit his needs and the requirements for them. Only the small rattling sound of the chains that bound him alerted Joey as to what was going on behind him and by the time the man turned around it was too late.

Bendy flexed claws that protruded out of his gloves and swung with the remaining strength he had and side swiped the aged director sending the man crashing into one of the projectors. Joey howled in pain at the injury dealt to him as the man grasped his bleeding side glaring at the smirking demon. The inky creature that Joey kept at his side lunged at the bound demon and bit down on Bendy's neck while burying it's claws into the demons chest and sides extracting shrill cries of pain. A dull crack sound rang from the demons neck cutting his screams short and ink began to wash off the figure to reveal Bendy unconscious. Once the toon was silenced the inky creature removed itself and slithered up to Joey with it gently pushing on the man trying to help him sit up.

Joeys face was full of rage. How dare Bendy hurt him again, after all that's he's done for him! No matter, once he gets a soul he'll behave how he's supposed to and won't ever strike him again. The man looked at the inky beast at his side and saw the creature open it's maw and a black tongue dripped out as it was trying to lick his wounds!

“Begone you infernal creature!” Joey swatted at the beast until some of the ink that made up it's tongue hit his wound.

The pain was excruciating. The director howled in agony and despite his protests the beasts tendrils pinned his flailing arms and kicking legs giving it access to lick his wounds. The more it dripped it's ink on his wounds the less it hurt as he looked down to see his injuries being sealed by the ink completely numbing the pain. The man eventually quieted down and relaxed trying to recover from his bout with the injury. He took several steadying breaths before he tried to move. The creature took the man's attempts at getting up as a sign of recovery and removed itself from the man allowing Joey to stand on wobbly legs.

The ache from Joey's leg had returned with a vengeance, and he cursed the demon that laid bound in chains. He took an experimental step forward finding that despite the damaged the demon had dealt him, he was feeling no pain from the blow and if anything was feeling better than he was before. The only pain he had felt was from the ache in his leg. He lightly patted his side checking his wound noting that the area had been replaced with ink and black spider web like mark radiated from the area and into his veins. Panic began to set in at the sight before him but a voice rang through his mind.

**_'It will be alright. The ink will keep you alive until you are able to complete your goal. You have a dream to fulfill Joey Drew.'_ **

Joey immediately whirled around looking for the source of the voice in his head. “Who's there!” he shouted into the open air.

**_'Why are you shouting into the open air when I'm standing right here?'_ **

Joey continued to look around ignoring the creature that stood behind him. The man fearing someone saw him. “Show yourself!”

**_'Oh you are a funny human being. How can I show myself when I am already here? It is you who are refusing to look at what's directly in front of you.'_ **

A small chuckle sounded out from behind Joey, the simplest of sound a kin to a room of children all giggling with many undertones. The man turned on his heel to face the beast that he kept at his side. The creature he summoned up from his dealings with magic from his book.

The beast seemed to give a toothy grin before a subtle laugh emanated from it. ** _'Oh so you can use your eyes Joey Drew.'_**

The man immediately backed away from the creature in fear as best he could before his leg gave out on him sending him toppling onto a projector. At the man's tumble the beast slowly slithered up to the man but stopped when Joey began to wave his cane at the creature to defend himself “S-Stay back!”

**_'As you wish, after all you summoned me and I cannot harm my master.'_** the beast sat on it's strange haunches with it's rodent like head bowing. It's mouth turned into an amused grin bearing razor like teeth.

Joey stared at the creature in disbelief and concern “Wh-What do you mean summoned? You're only suppo-”

The beast laughed before Joey finished his statement **_'What? Only supposed to be a creature of pure ink that you can magically somehow control? Get real Drew. You summoned me the minute you started drawing the runes mixed with your blood within your machine. Why else do you think the machine responds to your call? I am what lies within your machine, I am the Ink Machine.'_**

“But how can that be? This form?” Joey stuttered out trying to grasp the creature's appearance that seemed to bubble and warp as it sat staring at him, the only part of its body that stayed consistent was it's rodent like head and frame.

_'Oh, this was a form you gave me when you were trying to bend the ink to your will on your own without my help. It seemed that you needed some assistance, so I chose between a collection of creatures you were so happily drowning in my ink. I even lent you more of my power so you can achieve your goal.'_ The beast sneered at him. ** _'I'll help you achieve your dream Drew, after all that’s what I was summoned for.'_**

“You're a demon!” Joey stood on wobbly legs putting on a brave face. “I never agreed to no contract!”

_**'you sealed the deal with mixing your blood in the runes of the Ink Machine Joey Drew. You wanted a way of bringing your cartoons to life and I'm giving it to you. There is no such thing about using magic without making a deal,or did you fail to read the instructions when you got a hold of my book?'** _

“What is it that you're after? My soul? I know you demons want human souls.” Joey straightened up glaring at the ink beast.

**_'As you've said, you own thousands of them. I'm certain I can find one that suits my taste's'_** The creatures long tongue flicked over it's teeth at the thought.

“Fine. You can take any of my staffs soul of your choosing, but only after I get my toons.” Joey held out his hand waiting for reciprocation, but got no response. “It's customary for a handshake to seal the deal.”

The beast looked at him unamused, but simply stood up on it's hind legs with it's form collapsing and bubbling as it reformed. The form the creature took made the man flinch, but held fast because the thing that stood before him was himself. The ink duplicate of himself bore sharp irregular teeth, pale paper white skin, a black suit and hollow black voids where his eyes were supposed to be. The 'man' held out his hand taking it in Joeys lightly shaking it.

_**'Oh I'm familiar with your human customs Drew'**_ it darkly laughed. _ **'Now'**_ it turned it's head to look at the collection of ink that had washed off Bendy had now taken the form of two shivering inky humanoids both looking at the two Joey's in fear. ** _'lets get ready for your toons.'_**

The beast laughed as the room pulsed and groaned with the Ink Machine's pipes descending from the ceiling and some erupting from the floor. The creature melting back to it's rodent like monstrosity with its tendril like mane before grabbing the shivering humanoids and began to drag them. The two lost souls kicked and screamed trying to free themselves from their bindings before their screams were drowned by the lake of ink they were pulled into.

With the silence now restored to the room except the soft hum of the projectors playing the Bendy shorts the inky beast looked up at Joey. ** _'First things first. We need to add a few more runes to the circle to accommodate the sister circles. After all you don't want to be dragging a poor soul all the way down here when you can do it from the comfort of your office now would we?'_** it gave the man a toothy grin.

Joey paced about the circle drawing the required runes with guidance from the inky beast beside him. By the time the runes were complete Bendy had woken and lay lifelessly at the throne resigned to his fate. The inky beast silently studying Bendy before a small grin grew on its face before resuming it's tutoring the director. Once the runes were complete the circle glowed slightly drawing in the piping that had been summoned. They hovered at the edge of the circle but did not move further.

_**'Now the last step Drew.'**_ The beast moved aside gesturing to the pipes that hovered at the edge of the circle. ** _'Connect the pipes to him'_**

Joey lifted a brow “How?” His answer was several sharp needle like protrusions erupting out the end of the pipes. “Oh.”

**_'This will allow the soul turned to ink to flow through the machine and into Bendy so you're not having to travel such a long way on little weak legs'_**   The creature chuckled in a mocking tone.

“And this will fix my problem with Bendy and you'll get your needed payment?” Joey questioned with his hand hovering over the pipe. The man uncertain about the benefit of connecting the Ink Machine to Bendy let alone about the payment of a soul for the demon aiding him.

**_'You'll get your toon Drew, or do you not want to see your creations entertaining the audiences that their 2D counterparts could only dream of? Doomed to be a mere image on the screen while you're studio is going bankrupt from a project that the whispers of your staff calls 'useless, annoying and inconvenient'._** The creature drew up images in a puddle of ink it summoned of various faceless staff whispering amongst each other complaining about the Ink Machine and their concerns about Joey Drew. The puddle whispered about many of them looking for new work elsewhere and some even toying with ideas of filing complaints about the working conditions. The beast snaked around Joey with it's serpentine tail coiled around Joey's arm and hand. ** _'All it takes is a few pipes to the heart to fix all your problems'_** The demonic beast whispered into the man's ear.

Joey was enraged by the images the beast of a demon showed him, the whispers of staff whom he vaguely recognized and all of them going behind his back to tarnish his name. He is Joey Drew owner of Joey Drew Studios and he will be on top, he doesn't need them. He owns them, he can easily replace them! With that last thought racing through his mind, his hand gripped around the pipe with determination and drove it's needles deep into Bendy's chest where his heart would be, connecting the pipe to him. Upon the pipe burrowing into Bendy's chest the toon screamed while the inky demon behind joey laughed darkly before melting into the ink on the floor returning to it's heart within the Ink Machine. It's job here was done.

Joey attached several more pipes to Bendy's chest before he removed himself from the throne and stood back to admire his handiwork. Now he would be able to sort through the staff at a faster rate to find a candidate for Bendy. He would no longer have the need to venture all the way to the depths of the studio to perform the ritual, with a little work he can do it from his office and have the ease of the machine removing the ink for him. He only has to make sure Thomas and Wally maintain the machine cause even though a demon is it's heart, it's still a mechanical device. With renewed determination Joey picked up his cane off the floor and hastily made his way to the elevator to return to his real office. The first thing on his agenda upon returning; start seeking out the traitorous staff trying to ruin him behind his back. You never know, one of the traitors can be a match for his toons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The machine is ready to do what it's master needs as the heart of the machine has finally revealed itself. Fear the man behind the monster and fear the machine.


End file.
